Abstract: A silver catalyst for the direct oxidation of ethylene with oxygen to give ethylene oxide is applied on a porous carrier and essentially consists of .alpha.-alumina and contains certain amounts of soluble calcium, aluminum, potassium and sodium salts. The carrier has a BET surface area of from 0.2 to 0.8 m.sup.2 /g, a pore volume of not less than 0.5 ml/g, the pores being equally accessible to cold and warm water, and a bulk density of less than 650 kg/m.sup.3, and has a shape which, in the reactor, provides a geometric surface area of not less than 600 m.sup.2 /m.sup.3, on which more than 13% by weight of silver are applied as the active component, more than 110 kg of silver being available per m.sup.3 of reactor.

Abstract: A process for the manufacture of an acicular magnetic iron oxide containing from 0.5 to 10 percent by weight of cobalt and up to 24 percent by weight of divalent iron, each based on the amount of iron(III) oxide, wherein an aqueous suspension of gamma-iron(III) oxide, containing cobalt(II) and iron(II) ions, the suspension having a hydroxyl ion concentration of more than 3.6.times.10.sup.-6 moles/liter, is heated at from 50.degree. to 100.degree. C. for at least 15 minutes, and the resulting precipitate is filtered off, washed until neutral, dried at below 100.degree. C. and thereafter heated at from 100.degree. to 200.degree. C.The products thus obtained give, even when their cobalt content is low, a very high coercive force, while the effect of temperature on the coercive force and residual induction is very slight.