TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Process: The step of combining a nickel(II) salt and a chromium(III) salt further comprises: combining the nickel(II) salt, the chromium(III) salt, and the colloidal silica in an aqueous solution; and adding the ammonium hydroxide and the aqueous solution to a quantity of water to form a resulting solution and modulating the addition of the ammonium hydroxide at a flow rate sufficient to maintain a target pH of the resulting solution of 7.5-10, preferably 9. The step of isolating the solid from the mother liquor further comprises allowing the gel to digest at 50-80 degrees C (preferably 60 degrees C) for 0.5-12 hours, preferably 1 hour. The process further comprises: washing the solid with water and filtering the solid from the water; cooling to ambient temperature the nickel-chromium catalyst with flowing air; reduction of the nickel/chromium catalyst by reducing a nickel/chromium oxide catalyst in a reducing atmosphere to reduce the nickel/chromium oxide catalyst to an active reduced metal catalyst prior to the introducing step; and grinding and sieving the nickel-chromium catalyst to form nickel-chromium catalyst in the form of 20-40 mesh particulates. The step of washing the solid comprises drying the solid at conditions (at 120 degrees C for 12 hours) sufficient to dry the solid to less than 1% water. The step of thermally treating the solid comprises heating the solid in a furnace (calcining) with continuously flowing (hot) air and raising the temperature to 300-450 degrees C at a rate of 2-5 degrees C/minute and maintaining the temperature for a sufficient period of time to decompose any hydroxide and nitrate salts, where the period of time to decompose the hydroxide and nitrate salts is 4-6 hours. Preferred Components: The nickel(II) salt comprises nickel(II) nitrate hexahydrate and the chromium(III) salt comprises chromium(III) nitrate hexahydrate. The nucleation promoter is an inert substance having a surface area greater than 1 m2/g, is thermally stable up to 220 degrees C, and is colloidal silica. The nickel/chromium ratio in nickel-chromium catalyst is 80:20. The nickel-chromium catalyst: is supported in a fixed-bed arrangement; and has an average particulate size of 20-40 mesh particulates. EXAMPLE - No suitable example given.