Facile and not facile reactions for the production of maleic and phthalic anhydrides with vanadium mixed oxides based catalysts

Abstract

Vanadium is a key element in the formulation of catalysts for the production of anhydrides by selective vapor oxidation with molecular oxygen. A study of the oxidations ofo-xylene,n-butane and benzene on V-P, V-Mo and V-Ti mixed oxides, the commercial catalysts for the synthesis of anhydrides, was carried out. The oxidation ofo-xylene on the three catalysts was the most facile reaction leading to high yields in phthalic anhydride; on the contrary in the oxidation ofn-butane only V-P mixed oxide was active and selective. V-P mixed oxide is active and selective in the oxidation of all the feedstocks and can be identified as the most polyfunctional catalyst. V-Mo is active and selective in botho-xylene and benzene oxidation and V-Ti only ino-xylene oxidation. Moreover the lesser selectivity in phthalic anhydride observed with V-P and V-Mo mixed oxides has been attributed to parallel oxidation reactions to the formation of phthalic anhydride, evidenced by a higher amount of phthalide.