Hydrocarbon conversion with a sulfided acidic catalytic composite

A process for catalytically reforming a gasoline fraction to produce a high octane reformate which comprises contacting the hydrocarbon at reforming conditions with a sulfided acidic catalytic composite comprising a porous carrier material containing, on an elemental basis, about 0.0l to about 2 wt. % platinum or palladium, about 0.01 to about 2 wt. % iridium, about 0.01 to about 5 wt. % nickel, about 0.1 to about 3.5 wt. % halogen, and about 0.01 to about 1 wt. % sulfur, wherein the platinum or palladium, iridium, and nickel are uniformly dispersed throughout the porous carrier material, wherein substantially all of the platinum or palladium, nickel, and iridium are present therein in a sulfided state or in the corresponding elemental metallic states, and wherein the composite is sulfided, prior to contact with the hydrocarbon and after substantially all of the platinum or palladium, iridium, and nickel contained therein have been reduced to the corresponding elemental metallic state, by treatment with a sulfiding gas at conditions selected to incorporate about 0.01 to about 1 wt. % sulfur.