Catalysts and process for unsaturated aldehydes

Abstract

A catalyst composition useful for the oxidation of olefins, particularly the vapor phase oxidation of isobutylene and/or tertiary butyl alcohol to produce methacrolein, consists essentially of the combination of oxides of molybdenum, cobalt, iron, bismuth, thallium, antimony, silicon, and nickel, along with one or more members of the groups consisting of the alkali metals, the alkaline earth metals, the rare earth metals including lanthanum, tungsten, and mixtures thereof. The catalyst has a BET surface area within the range of about 0.5-10 m.sup.2 /gm and preferably within the range of about 2-6 m.sup.2 /gm. Preferably, the catalyst has no more than about 3% of the surface area associated with pores smaller than about 100 A.degree.. The catalyst is heated during its preparation to a temperature above 525.degree. C., preferably above 550.degree. C., most preferably to about 600.degree. C., for a time sufficient to achieve the desired surface area and pore size distribution and thereby to improve selectivity to methacrolein.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.