UK's Johnson Matthey in talks to sell Catalyst Technologies unit

(Reuters) -Britain's Johnson Matthey said on Wednesday that it is in advanced discussions over a potential sale of its Catalyst Technologies division, confirming an earlier media report.

Sky News first reported the development. The Financial Times separately reported that U.S. industrial conglomerate Honeywell is nearing a 1.8 billion pounds($2.42 billion) all-cash deal to acquire Johnson Matthey's catalyst unit.

Reuters couldn't immediately confirm the reports.

($1 = 0.7451 pounds)

(Reporting by Bipasha Dey in Bengaluru; Editing by Vijay Kishore)