Preparation of stable tellurium-containing solution from metallic tellurium and process for producing tellurium-antimony containing oxide catalyst using said solution

A process for producing a tellurium-antimony containing oxide catalyst wherein a metal oxide composition consisting essentially of antimony and at least one element selected from the group consisting of iron, cobalt, nickel, manganese, uranium, tin and copper is calcined at a temperature from about 500.degree. C. to 1000.degree. C., the calcined oxide composition is impregnated with an aqueous solution containing tellurium, the resulting oxide composition is dried, and then calcined at a temperature from about 400.degree. C. to 850.degree. C., wherein the impregnating solution containing tellurium consists essentially of a stable tellurium-containing solution prepared by dissolving metallic tellurium through reaction with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of at least one reaction accelerator selected from the group consisting of (A) an ammonium ion, (B) an alkali metal ion, and (C) an oxide, oxyacid, or oxyacid salt of at least one element selected from the group consisting of vanadium, molybdenum, and tungsten.

A process for reactivating a tellurium-antimony containing oxide catalyst consisting essentially of antimony and at least one element selected from the group consisting of iron, cobalt, nickel, manganese, uranium, tin and copper, and as an additional component tellurium or tellurium and at least one element selected from the group consisting of alkali metal, vanadium, molybdenum, and tungsten, and which has been deteriorated reductively or deactivated due to a decrease in the content of the additional components, by impregnating said catalyst with an aqueous tellurium-containing solution, drying the resulting oxide containing composition, and calcining the same at a temperature between about 400.degree. and about 850.degree. C., wherein said tellurium-containing impregnating solution consisting essentially of a stable tellurium-containing solution prepared by dissolving metallic tellurium through reaction with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of at least one reaction accelerator selected from the group consisting of (A) an ammonium ion, (B) an alkali metal ion, and (C) an oxide, oxyacid, or oxyacid salt of at least one element selected from the group consisting of vanadium, molybdenum, and tungsten.

A stable tellurium-containing solution prepared by a process comprising dissolving metallic tellurium by reaction with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of at least one reaction accelerator selected from the group consisting of (A) ammonium ion, (B) alkali metal ion, and (C) an oxide, oxyacid, or oxyacid salt of at least one element selected from the group consisting of vanadium, molybdenum, and tungsten.