Selenium oxidation catalysts

Oxidation of 2-Methylpropene over Copper Oxide Catalysts in the Presence of Selenium Dioxide... 

The air oxidation of 2-methylpropene to methacrolein was investigated at atmospheric pressure and temperatures ranging between 200° and 460°C. over pumice-supported copper oxide catalyst in the presence of selenium dioxide in an integral isothermal flow reactor. The reaction products were analyzed quantitatively by gas chromatography, and the effects of several process variables on conversion and yield were determined. The experimental results are explained by the electron theory of catalysis on semiconductors, and a reaction mechanism is proposed. It is postulated that while at low selenium-copper ratios, the rate-determining step in the oxidation of 2-methylpropene to methacrolein is a p-type, it is n-type at higher ratios. 

This paper reports the effect of various amounts of selenium dioxide under different operating conditions on the conversion of 2-methylpropene to methacrolein and proposes a hypothesis for the hydrocarbon oxidation, which explains particularly the reactivity and selectivity of selenium-copper oxide catalysts in oxidizing 2-methylpropene. 

A certain amount of selenium may be considered as an acceptor impurity to copper oxide since the Fermi level of copper oxide catalyst is lowered or its p-typeness is increased. This agrees with the observation of Margolis (16). 

The use of certain vanadium compounds as catalysts has been increasing. Vanadium oxy trichloride is a catalyst in making ediylene-propylene rubber. Ammonium metavanadate and vanadium pentoxide aie used as oxidation catalysts, particularly in the production of polyamides, such as nylon, in the manufacture of H>S04 by the contact process, in the production of phdialic and maleic anhydrides, and in numerous other oxidation reactions, such as alcohol to acetaldehyde, anthracene to anthraquinone, sugar to oxalic acid, and diphenylamine to carbazole. Vanadium compounds have been used for many years 111 die ceramics field for enamels and glazes. Colors are produced by various combinations of vanadium oxide and silica, zirconia, zinc, lead, tin, selenium, and cadmium. Vanadium intermediate compounds also are used in the making of aniline Mack used by the dye industry... 

Ishii, Y., Mural, S., Sonoda, N. Oxidation of aldehydes by hydrogen peroxide in the presence of selenium dioxide catalyst. Technol. Rep. Osaka Univ. 1976, 26, 623-626. 

This reaction has been modified to proceed in the presence of selenium or selenium oxide as catalyst. ... 

Oxidation may be accomplished by heating at 300° with sulfuric acid, nitric acid with mercuric oxide as catalyst, or by treatment with hydrogen peroxide. Selenium oxide has also been used as catalyst. Nicotinic acid in high yield is usually recovered as the copper salt i. 

Although gravimetric methods have been used traditionally for the determination of large amounts of tellurium, more accurate and convenient volumetric methods are favored. The oxidation of teUurium(IV) by ceric sulfate in hot sulfuric acid solution in the presence of chromic ion as catalyst affords a convenient volumetric method for the determination of tellurium (32). Selenium(IV) does not interfere if the sulfuric acid is less than 2 N in concentration. Excess ceric sulfate is added, the excess being titrated with ferrous ammonium sulfate using o-phenanthroline ferrous—sulfate as indicator. The ceric sulfate method is best appHed in tellurium-rich materials such as refined tellurium or tellurium compounds. 

A route to phenol has been developed starting from cyclohexane, which is first oxidised to a mixture of cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone. In one process the oxidation is carried out in the liquid phase using cobalt naphthenate as catalyst. The cyclohexanone present may be converted to cyclohexanol, in this case the desired intermediate, by catalytic hydrogenation. The cyclohexanol is converted to phenol by a catalytic process using selenium or with palladium on charcoal. The hydrogen produced in this process may be used in the conversion of cyclohexanone to cyclohexanol. It also may be used in the conversion of benzene to cyclohexane in processes where benzene is used as the precursor of the cyclohexane. 

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