TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Catalyst: The support is non-crystalline support (preferably silica) and has a surface area less than about 700 m2/g. The ionic liquid comprises a cation and an anion.The cation is ion of formula R1N+(R2)(R3)(R4), R6N+(R5)(R7)(R7), (I) or (II).R1-R7 = optionally saturated 1-7C hydrocarbons;R4, and R8-R19 = optionally saturated 1-7C hydrocarbons or H.The anion is halide of Group IIIA metals, copper, zinc, iron or phosphorus (preferably AlCl4-, Al2Cl7-, Al3Cl10-, GaCl4-, Ga2Cl7-, Ga3Cl10-, CuCl2-, Cu2Cl3-, Cu3Cl4-, ZnCl3-, FeCl3-, FeCl4- Fe3Cl7-, PF6-, and BF4-).The ionic liquid is of formula (R1)(R2)(R3)NH+Al2Cl7- or (CH3)3NH+Al2Cl7-.R1-R3 = as above.The Group VIII metal compound (preferably platinum compound) is dispersed in the ionic liquid.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The hydrocarbon feed stream comprises isopentane (at least 50, preferably 50-95, especially 80-98.5) wt.% based on the total weight of the hydrocarbon feed stream.The 4C paraffin of the product stream is isobutane and the 6C paraffin of the product stream is a hexane isomer.The initiator is 2-20C olefins, and/or 2-20C alkyl halides.Preferred Method: The conversion is carried out at a temperature of 100-1000 (preferably 140-250, especially 150-220)degreesF. EXAMPLE - AlCl3 (7.38 g) was mixed with trimethylammonium chloride (2.71 g) (N(CH3)3:HCl) (at approximately 2 equivalents AlCl3 and 1 equivalent (N(CH3)3.HCl)) to form an ionic liquid. Silica spheres (1.98 g), having a surface area greater than 400 m2/g, a pore volume of 3 cm3/g, and an average pore diameter of 308 Angstrom, was added to the ionic liquid along with inert support Alundum alumina (17.01 g) to form a mixture. The mixture was then charged to a reactor. An isopentane feed was charged to the reactor at varying reactor temperatures and liquid hourly space velocities. It was observed that the catalyst system including the ionic liquid dispersed on silica spheres having average pore diameter greater than 225 Angstrom resulted in significant isopentane conversion with even higher conversions at reactor temperature in excess of 150 degreesF.