Nanoscale gold catalysts, activating agents, support media, and related methodologies useful for making such catalyst systems especially when the gold is deposited onto the support media using physical vapor deposition

Use of physical vapor deposition methodologies to deposit nanoscale gold on activating support media makes the use of catalytically active gold for catalytic systems in the present invention. The activating support media are composite particles derived from ingredients comprising fine nanoporous particles with a size less than 100 µm and coarse particles with a size greater than 590 µm and wherein the composite particles comprise gold clusters with cluster dimensions 0.5-50 µm deposited onto the said fine particle.