Hydrogenation of asphaltenes and the like

In a process for converting carbonaceous materials to products of lower viscosity and/or end products that are more hydrogenated, said converting being the presence of alkali metal sulfide catalysts and without adding hydrogen gas serving substantially as a hydrogenation reactant, the improvement comprising:

• (a) reacting, at a temperature of up to about 600.degree. C. in the presence of added stream, added in an amount of up to 130%, based on the end products being withdrawn, an oil, or resin or asphaltene fraction of a distillate having a boiling point of at least 850.degree. F.+, or mixtures thereof, with a supported or unsupported catalyst composition comprising:
• (1) a first solution of an alkali metal hydroxide dissolved in methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol or 1-butanol or mixtures of these alkanols, or
• (2) a second solution of said alkali metal hydroxide-alkanol as defined in (1) above to which water dissolved alkali metal hydroxide has been added and wherein the ratio of said first solution to said alkali metal hydroxide, on a mole bases, in said solutions is from 0.5:1 to 1:0.5,
• said first or second solution being treated with hydrogen sulfide, such that in either solution
• (i) a single phase solution forms, or
• (ii) a two phase solution forms,
• said catalyst composition being said single phase solution of (i), said two phase solution of (ii), each of the phases of (ii), taken individually, mixtures of the phases of (ii) with each other, a mixture of each of the individual phases of (ii) with the single phase solution of (i), or a mixture of the two phases of (ii) with each other taken with the single phase of (i), and removing the residual solvent from the foregoing and
• (b) recovering reaction products from step (a), including gases produced in the reaction.