Anionicaly stabilized lithium catalysts and a method for stabilizing the lithium catalyst

Abstract

An anionically stabilized lithium catalyst wherein the anion is sulfate, phosphate, aluminate, silicate and mixtures thereof. The anionically stabilized lithium catalyst may be supported on a metal oxide support of magnesium oxide, titanium oxide, zinc oxide, calcium oxide, barium oxide, strontium oxide, zirconium oxide, hafnium oxide, yttrium oxide, lanthanum oxide, samarium oxide, and mixtures thereof or when aluminate or silicate is used as the anion the aluminate or silicate may act as the support. The catalyst may be used to promote reactions at temperatures higher than prior lithium catalysts, particularly higher than about 600.degree. C., such as oxidative coupling of aliphatic and alicyclic hydrocarbons to produce higher molecular weight compounds and oxydehydrogenation of aliphatic and alicyclic hydrocarbons to produce unsaturated hydrocarbons or to change the functional group of the hydrocarbon.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.