TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Process: The process further comprises adding at least one base to the nickel salt solution to adjust the pH of the nickel salt solution to greater than or equal to 9. The contacting step is carried out at a temperature of 20-90 degrees C. The adding step is carried out at a temperature of 80 degrees C. Preferred Components: The solid support comprises porous or nonporous supports based on silica, colloidal silica, calcium silicate, mixed silica oxides, silicon carbide support, zeolite, zirconium, kaolinite, porous glass or alumina. The solid support is present in the form of mesostructured silica particles. The nickel salt comprises nickel nitrate and its hydrate, nickel acetate, nickel chloride or nickel carbonate. The amount of nickel salt is 1-20 wt.%. The molar ration between the reducing agent and the nickel precursor is greater than or equal to 1.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The reducing agent is ascorbic acid (preferred), hydrides, phosphites or hypophosphites. The base is urea or ammonia. EXAMPLE - 72 g of Pluronic 123 (RTM: Triblock copolymers (polyethylene glycol-polypropylene glycol-polyethylene glycol)) was dissolved in 2150 ml of an aqueous hydrochloric acid solution with 170 ml of tetra-ethyl orthosilicate. The resulting mixture was stirred at a temperature of 35 degrees C for 24 hours, and then heated at 90 degrees C for 24 hours to obtain mesoporous silica precipitate, which was collected by filtration, washed, dried and finally calcined at 550 degrees C for 6 hours to obtain a powder of particles of SBA-15 type mesoporous silica. 1 g of SBA-15 type mesoporous silica and 0.75 g of ascorbic acid were added to 50 ml of distilled water and stirred under agitation for 10 minutes to obtain a suspension. 0.89 g of nickel(II) nitrate hexahydrate was dissolved in 200 ml of distilled water to obtain a solution. The suspension was mixed to the solution and heated to 80 degrees C under agitation. 3.6 g of Urea was added to the heated mixture and kept at 80 degrees C for 20 hours under stirring. The final mixture was filtered and washed with a distilled water to obtain a powder. The powder was then dried in an oven for 6 hours at 110 degrees C and then calcined at a temperature of 550 degrees C for 6 hours to obtain catalyst.