Shell catalyst for producing alkenyl carboxylic acid esters having an improved pd distribution

A Pd- and Au-containing shell catalyst having a concentration profile of the palladium within the shell catalyst where the concentration profile corresponds to an asymmetric Gaussian distribution, the maximum of the palladium concentration is disposed in a range from 0 to 40 micrometers from the geometric macroscopic surface of the catalyst shaped body, the palladium is present in a region having a shell thickness of 30 to 200 μm, the half-height width of the concentration distribution is 10 to 70 μm and the ratio of the left-hand proportion of the half-height width to the right-hand proportion of the half-height width is in the range from 0.05 to 0.55.