Process and catalyst for producing hydroperoxides

A process for producing an organic hydroperoxide comprising reacting an organic compound having at least one carbon-hydrogen bond capable of being oxidized to a hydroperoxide-carbon bond with oxygen in the presence of a catalyst comprising physical mixtures of the complex oxides, physical mixtures of simple oxides, or physical mixtures of complex oxides and simple oxides where the simple complex oxides are oxide compounds of M1, M2, and M3 in which at least one of the oxide components in the mixture contains at least one M1 metal, an anhydrous mixture given by the empirical formulation

• (M1)am+(M2)bn+(M3)cp+HdOz
• where M1 is a transition metal component selected from Mn, Co, Cr, V, Mo, Fe, Cu, Ni, and mixtures thereof which comprise between 0.1% and 90% of the catalyst by weight, “a” is the sum of the mole fractions of M1 metals and is defined to be 1, “m” is the weighted average valence of the M1 metals and is greater than 0, M2 is selected from the group comprising of NH4+, n-propylammonium, Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, La, Ce, Sm, Pr, Yb, Sc, Y, Ti, Zr, Hf, Al, Ga, In, Sn, Bi, and mixtures thereof, “b” is the mole ratio of M2 cations and metals to the M1 metals and is greater than or equal to 0, “n” is the weighted average valence of the M2 cations and metals and is greater than 0, M3 is selected from the main group elements that form complex oxoanions comprising C, Si, P, and Ge, “c” is the mole ratio of M3 to the M1 metals and is greater than or equal to 0, “p” is the weighted average valence of M3 and is greater than 0, “d” is mole ratio of hydrogen to the M1 metals and varies from 0 to about “z”, “z” is mole ratio of O to M1 metals and is given by
• z=(a·m+b·n+c·p+)/2
• wherein any combination of the oxides can be mixed in any proportion to obtain the desired catalyst provided the weight fraction of Ml in the catalyst falls in the 0.1% to 90% range.