Bismuth molybdate catalyst reaction kinetics

Oxidation of propylene to form acrolein depends on the first order of propylene and is independent of oxygen on multicomponent bismuth molybdate catalysts under the usual reaction conditions. The observed kinetics is the same with simple bismuth molybdates and suggests that the oxidation of propylene proceeds via the similar reaction scheme reported for simple molybdates, the slow step being the abstraction of allylic hydrogen (9-15, 19, 20). However, the reaction sometimes depends on the partial pressure of oxygen under lower temperature and lower oxygen pressure (41, 42). 

The kinetics of the parallel formation of by-products is generally similar to the kinetics of the main reaction (i.e. rate independent of the oxygen pressure and first order with respect to propene), which presumes identical reaction steps. A study of the origin of acetaldehyde and formaldehyde carried out by Gorshkov et al. [144] is of interest in this connection. 14C-Labelled propene was oxidized over a bismuth molybdate catalyst at 460° C the results showed that acrolein, acetaldehyde and formaldehyde are formed via a symmetrical intermediate, presumably one and the same intermediate. The study, moreover, shows that acetaldehyde is exclusively formed from this intermediate, while formaldehyde may also be formed from the aldehyde group of acrolein and the methyl group of acetaldehyde. 

A second series of experiments involved feeding deuterated propenes, including CH2=CH-CH2D [100], CHD CH-CHs [101] and CH2=CD-CD3 [112] over a series of bismuth molybdate catalysts. In these experiments a Kinetic Isotope Effect (KIE) was observed provided that one of the C-H bonds in the CH3 group was substituted by a C-D bond (see Table 5.10). These experiments point to rupture of a methyl C-H bond, namely the weakest C-H bond in the propene molecule, as the slow step in the formation of the Ti-allyl species and in the overall reaction kinetics. 

The oxidation of propene to acrolein has been one of the most studied selective oxidation reaction. The catalysts used are usually pure bismuth molybdates owing to the fact that these phases are present in industrial catalysts and that they exhibit rather good catalytic properties (1). However the industrial catalysts also contain bivalent cation molybdates like cobalt, iron and nickel molybdates, the presence of which improves both the activity and the selectivity of the catdysts (2,3). This improvement of performances for a mixture of phases with respect to each phase component, designated synergy effect, has recently been attributed to a support effect of the bivalent cation molybdate on the bismuth molybdate (4) or to a synergy effect due to remote control (5) or to more or less strong interaction between phases (6). However, this was proposed only in view of kinetic data obtained on a prepared supported catalyst. 

Ray and Chanda [261] studied bismuth molybdates (prepared by the method of Peacock [250,251]) in an integral flow reactor. At constant W/F = 8 g h mol-1 and a feed ratio isobutene/oxygen = 1/6, a maximum selectivity of 75% was found at 400—450°C. As with propene, the reaction is first order with respect to isobutene and the rate is independent of the oxygen pressure. The reoxidation of the catalyst is very fast. Assuming that the kinetics can be described by three parallel first-order reactions for the production of methacrolein, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, rate coefficients were calculated (Table 18). 

Kinetics of reaction must be considered when attempting to postulate mechanisms, but kinetic equations alone are unreliable in fixing mechanism. For example, in the oxidation of propylene to acrolein, cuprous oxide and bismuth molybdate have very different kinetics, yet the studies of Voge, Wagner, and Stevenson (18), and especially of Adams and Jennings (1, 2) show that in both cases the mechanism is removal of an H atom from the CH3 group to form an allylic intermediate, from which a second H atom is removed before the O atom is added. The orders of the reactions and the apparent optimum catalysts (16) are as follows ... 

The use of isotopic tracers has demonstrated that the selective oxidation of propylene proceeds via the formation of a symmetrical allyl species. Probably the most convincing evidence is presented by the isotopic tracer studies utilizing, 4C-labeled propylene and deuterated propylene. Adams and Jennings 14, 15) studied the oxidation of propylene at 450°C over bismuth molybdate and cuprous oxide catalysts. The reactant propylene was labeled with deuterium in various positions. They analyzed their results in terms of a kinetic isotope effect, which is defined by the probability of a deuterium atom being abstracted relative to that of a hydrogen atom. Letting z = kD/kH represent this relative discrimination probability, the reaction paths shown in Fig. 1 were found to be applicable to the oxidation of 1—C3He—3d and 1—QH —1 d. 

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