Carrier catalyst, process for its preparation, and its use for the preparation of vinyl acetate

A process for the preparation of vinylacetate, comprising:

• bringing a gas phase comprising ethylene, acetic acid, and oxygen or an oxygen containing gas into contact with a catalyst which contains:
• palladium and/or compounds thereof and alkali metal compounds, and additionally cadmium compounds and/or gold and/or compounds thereof, on support particles which have been pressed from SiO.sub.2 or an SiO.sub.2 -Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 mixture with the aid of a binder comprising one or more Li, Mg, Al, Zn, Fe or Mn salts of a C.sub.2 -C.sub.26 -carboxylic acid and have subsequently been roasted in oxygen-containing gases at 500.degree.-900.degree. C. for a period of 0.25-5 hours, and thereafter have a surface area of 50-250 m.sup.2 /g and a pore volume of 0.4-1.2 ml/g at a particle size of 1-15 mm, 5-20% of the pore volume being formed by pores having a radius of 200-3000 .ANG., and 50-90% of the pore volume being formed by pores having a radius of 70-100 .ANG., said catalyst having been prepared by the steps comprising:
• a) washing the roasted support particles with an acid which does not react with SiO.sub.2 or SiO-Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 mixtures, until no further cations of the binder employed during pressing of the support particles are released from the support particles;
• b) then impregnating the support particles with palladium, and gold or cadmium;
• c) then bringing the impregnated support particles into contact with a solution of a base at least until the thickness of the noble metal shell generated in this way on the support particles no longer changes substantially;
• and
• d) then impregnating the support particles with an alkali metal compound.