Complexes mixed metal oxides

Today the most efficient catalysts are complex mixed metal oxides that consist of Bi, Mo, Fe, Ni, and/or Co, K, and either P, B, W, or Sb. Many additional combinations of metals have been patented, along with specific catalyst preparation methods. Most catalysts used commercially today are extmded neat metal oxides as opposed to supported impregnated metal oxides. Propylene conversions are generally better than 93%. Acrolein selectivities of 80 to 90% are typical. 

The first-stage catalysts for the oxidation to methacrolein are based on complex mixed metal oxides of molybdenum, bismuth, and iron, often with the addition of cobalt, nickel, antimony, tungsten, and an alkaU metal. Process optimization continues to be in the form of incremental improvements in catalyst yield and lifetime. Typically, a dilute stream, 5—10% of isobutylene tert-huty alcohol) in steam (10%) and air, is passed over the catalyst at 300—420°C. Conversion is often nearly quantitative, with selectivities to methacrolein ranging from 85% to better than 95% (114—118). Often there is accompanying selectivity to methacrylic acid of an additional 2—5%. A patent by Mitsui Toatsu Chemicals reports selectivity to methacrolein of better than 97% at conversions of 98.7% for a yield of methacrolein of nearly 96% (119). 

MAA and MMA may also be prepared via the ammoxidation of isobutylene to give meth acrylonitrile as the key intermediate. A mixture of isobutjiene, ammonia, and air are passed over a complex mixed metal oxide catalyst at elevated temperatures to give a 70—80% yield of methacrylonitrile. Suitable catalysts often include mixtures of molybdenum, bismuth, iron, and antimony, in addition to a noble metal (131—133). The meth acrylonitrile formed may then be hydrolyzed to methacrjiamide by treatment with one equivalent of sulfuric acid. The methacrjiamide can be esterified to MMA or hydrolyzed to MAA under conditions similar to those employed in the ACH process. The relatively modest yields obtainable in the ammoxidation reaction and the generation of a considerable acid waste stream combine to make this process economically less desirable than the ACH or C-4 oxidation to methacrolein processes. 

Partial oxidations over complex mixed metal oxides are far from ideal for singlecrystal like studies of catalyst structure and reaction mechanisms, although several detailed (and by no means unreasonable) catalytic cycles have been postulated. Successful catalysts are believed to have surfaces that react selectively vith adsorbed organic reactants at positions where oxygen of only limited reactivity is present. This results in the desired partially oxidized products and a reduced catalytic site, exposing oxygen deficiencies. Such sites are reoxidized by oxygen from the bulk that is supplied by gas-phase O2 activated at remote sites. 

Selective oxidation of hydrocarbons is of key importance in functionalization of hydrocarbon molecules. It is always a multi-step process with consecutive abstraction of hydrogen and addition of oxygen atoms. The difficulty of this reaction is, undoubtedly, that the process should go through these many steps, but also should stop at the desired product. Such requirements can be met by complex mixed-metal oxides, and the XPS characterization of two selected examples is briefly reviewed here. 

The inorganic chemistry of a multi-component heterogeneous catalyst is often very complex, as it is quite difficult to obtain structural information at the molecular level to help establish the fundamental processes. As an example, we discuss the chemistry of the complex mixed metal oxide catalyst Mo7,5Vi,5NbTe029 shown in Fig. 2.25, which is known to catalyze the ammoxidation of propane to acrylonitrile. The active centers in this system are multifunctional metal oxide assemblies that are spatially isolated from one another owing to their unique crystal structures. 

Mixed-Metal Oxide Pig ments. Mixed-metal oxide pigments can be considered a subcategory of complex inorganic color pigments. The name, mixed-metal oxides, does not, however, represent the reaUty as these pigments are not mixtures but rather soHd solutions or compounds consisting... 

The continued development of new single-source molecular precursors should lead to increasingly complex mixed-element oxides with novel properties. Continued work with grafting methods will provide access to novel surface structures that may prove useful for catalytic apphcations. Use of molecular precursors for the generation of metal nanoparticles supported on various oxide supports is another area that shows promise. We expect that the thermolytic molecular precursor methods outlined here will contribute significantly to the development of new generations of advanced materials with tailored properties, and that it will continue to provide access to catalytic materials with improved performance. 

Complex Base-Metal Oxides Complex oxide systems include the mixed oxides of some metals which have perovskite or spinel structure. Both the perovskites and the spinels exhibit catalytic activity toward cathodic oxygen reduction, but important differences exist in the behavior of these systems. 

Preparation of mixed metal oxides - The sulfated metal oxides (zircoiua, titaiua and tin oxide) were synthesized using a two-step method. The first step is the hydroxylation of metal complexes. The second step is the sulfonation with H2SO4 followed by calcination in air at various temperatures, for 4 h, in a West 2050 oven, at the temperature rate of 240°C hSulfated zirconia Zr0Cl2.8H20 (50 g) was... 

How can we be sure that the U +(Q2-) complex in a mixed metal oxide is present as the UO octahedron This can be done by studying solid solution series between tungstates (tellurates, etc.) and uranates which are isomorphous and whose crystal structure is known. Illustrative examples are solid solution series with ordered perovskite structure A2BWi aUa 06 and A2BTei-a Ua 06 91). Here A and B are alkahne-earth ions. The hexavalent ions occupy octahedral positions as can be shown by infrared and Raman analysis 92, 93). Usually no accurate determinations of the crystallographic anion parameters are available, because this can only be done by neutron diffraction [see however Ref. (P4)]. Vibrational spectroscopy is then a simple tool to determine the site symmetry of the uranate complex in the lattice, if these groups do not have oxygen ions in common. In the perovskite structure this requirement is fulfilled. 

OR and Y = O. This structure is basically the same as the one observed several decades ago for the mixed metal oxide system Zn2Mo308,232 and is exemplified by the complexes (12), (13) and (14). 

The term mixed metal oxide pigment denotes a pigment that crystallizes in a stable oxide lattice, and in which the color is due to the incorporation of colored cations in this lattice. Such compounds are regarded as solid solutions. The American Dry Color Manufacturers Association has abandoned the term mixed metal oxide inorganic colored pigments , it denotes these colorants as complex inorganic color pigments [3.73],... 

The chemistry of oxo compounds of nickel(II) is very limited if the simple oxide NiO and the mixed-metal oxide Ba3Ni04 are excluded.1475-1477 Dioxygen complexes of nickel(H) are not cited in a recent review article.1478... 

The vast majority of metal complexes in the solid state are insulators and do not exhibit any interesting electrical conduction properties because the metal atoms are surrounded by insulating ligands which prevent the passage of carriers from one site to another. This review will be limited to a discussion of the electrical conduction properties of coordination compounds, and will not include simple inorganic compounds with high electrical conductivity such as mixed metal oxides, (3-alumina and TaSe3. 

Oxo-metal complexes also intervene as active species in the heterogeneous gas-phase oxidation of hydrocarbons over metal oxide or mixed metal oxide catalysts at high temperatures. Characteristic examples are the bismuth molybdate-catalyzed oxidation of propene to acrolein and the V205-catalyzed oxidation of benzene to maleic anhydride (equations 17 and 18).SJ... 

In nonreactive molten salts, on the other hand, flux components are not incorporated into the product phase. Here, the molten salt acts more in the classical sense as a reagent to promote the reaction at a lower temperature than would be required by the ceramic, or direct, route (Section 5.2). This is accomplished by two attributes of molten salts an acid-base equilibrium that enables the general dissolution-recrystallization of metal oxides and a highly electropositive (oxidizing) environment that stabilizes the highest oxidation state of many transition metals (Gopalakrishnan, 1995), which can lead to mixed valency. A plethora of complex transition metal oxides have been synthesized in nonreactive molten alkali metal hydroxides, carbonates, and hypochlorites. Examples of such molten salt routes to mixed transition metal oxides include (Rao and Raveau, 1998) ... 

On the other hand, the progress of wet-processes as preparative techniques of metal oxide films has been remarkable. The so-called soft solution process that provides oxide layers by means of electrochemical oxidation of a metal surface is expanding as a synthetic method of various mixed metal oxides with controlled thickness [2], The two-dimensional (2D) sol-gel process based on the hydrolysis of metal alkoxides at the air/water interface has been reported as a preparative technique of ultrathin oxide films (Fig. 6.1a) [3]. It is also known that LB films of metal complexes of long-chain alkyl carboxylic acid can be converted to metal oxide films after removal of organic component by oxygen plasma [4] and UV-ozone treatments (Fig. 6.1b) [5]. Preparation of metal oxide... 

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