A NOVEL CATALYST IS MANUFACTURED BY THE REACTION OF A METALLIC COMPOSITION HAVING THE FORMULA R(M(CO)5X) WHEREIN R IS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ALKALI METAL IONS AND CATIONS OF THE TYPE J4Q WHEREIN Q IS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF NITROGEN, PHOSPHOROUS AND ARSENIC, AND J IS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF HYDROGEN AND C1-C30 HYDROCABYL RADICALS, M IS A GROUP VI-B METAL AND X IS A UNINEGATIVELY CHARGED LIGAND, SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF HALIDE, CYANIDE, CYANATE, THIOCYANATE, AZIDE, ACETATE, TRIFLUOROACETATE AND STEARATE, WITH AN ACTIVATOR, SAID ACTIVATOR CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF AN ORGANOMETALLIC COMPOUND, SAID ORGANOMETALLIC COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF COMPOUNDS HAVING THE GENERAL FORMULA RNLYM WHEREIN R IS INDEPENDENTLY SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF C1 TO C30 HYDROCARBYL RADICALS, L IS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF GROUP I-A, II-A AND III-A METALS, AND METALS HAVING AN ATOMIC NUMBER OF FROM 3 TO 31, Y IS A HALIDE, N IS AN INTERGER OF FROM 1 TO 3, AND M IS AN INTEGER OF FROM 0 TO 3, N AND M HAVING TOTAL EQUAL TO THE VALENCE OF L, AT A TEMPEATURE OF FROM ABOUT-100 TO +150*C. AND A PRESSURE OF BETWEEN 0.1 AND 1,000 ATMOSPHERES, THE MOLAR RATIO OF ORGANOMETALLIC COMPOUND TO METALLIC COMPOSITION VARYING BETWEEN 0.5:1 AND 50:1, WHEREBY A CATALYST IS FORMED.