A hydrogenation process for reducing the unsaturation of lubricants uses a catalyst which is based on an ultra-large pore crystalline material. The crystalline material has pores of at least 1.3 nm (13 ANGSTROM ) diameter arranged in a uniform manner and exhibits unusually large sorption capacity demonstrated by its benzene adsorption capacity of greater than 15 grams benzene/100 grams (6.7 kPa/50 torr and 25 DEG C). A preferred form of the catalyst has a hexagonal structure which exhibits a hexagonal electron diffraction pattern that can be indexed with a d100 value greater than 1.8 nm (18 ANGSTROM ). The hydrogenation catalysts based on these materials are capable of reducing the unsaturation in poly alpha olefin lubricants to a low level.
