Catalysts, activating agents, support media, and related methodologies useful for making catalyst systems especially when the catalyst 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 dramatically easier and opens the door to significant improvements associated with developing, making, and using gold-based, catalytic systems. The present invention, therefore, relates to novel features, ingredients, and formulations of gold-based, heterogeneous catalyst systems generally comprising nanoscale gold deposited onto a nanoporous support.