Acrolein, from heterogeneous oxidation

Heterogeneous oxidative processes operate at high temperatures (250-450 6C) and are useful for the synthesis of acrolein and acrylic acid from propylene over bismuth molybdate catalysts, the synthesis of maleic and phthalic anhydrides from the oxidation of benzene (or C4 compounds) and naphthalene (or o-xylene) respectively over vanadium oxide,101 arid the synthesis of ethylene oxide from ethylene over silver catalysts.102... 

The modern beginning of the heterogeneous catalytic oxidation of olefins to aldehydes may be taken as the discovery of the oxidation of propylene to acrolein over cuprous oxide by Hearne and Adams (5 ). This reaction has been carried to commercial operation by Shell Chemical Company. More recently, the use of bismuth phosphomolybdate has been demonstrated for the oxidation of propylene to acrolein by Veatch and co-workers (88), and, in the presence of ammonia, to acrylonitrile by Idol (89). It was also shown, by Heame and Furman (90), that diolefins could be made from C4 and higher olefins by oxidative dehydrogenation over a bismuth molybdate catalyst. From these beginnings, information on olefin oxidation has increased very rapidly, both in journal and patent literature. We shall make no attempt to review the large number of patents that have issued, but shall limit ourselves mainly to journal literature. 

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