A process for coating a refractory oxide which involves impregnating a refractory oxide support with a solution of a salt of ruthenium or rhodium alone or in combination with a salt of at least one of platinum, palladium, osmium or iridium while maintaining a highly acid solution having a pH, for example, of about 0.7 to about 2.2 and then contacting the impregnated refractory oxide with H2S to precipitate the metal sulfide on the refractory support and the product resulting therefrom.