Vapour Phase Oxidation of Acetophenone to Benzoic Acid Over Binary Oxides of V and Mo

Abstract

Test data for catalytic oxidation of acetophenone into benzoic acid performed at bench scale with V 2 O 5 –MoO 3 catalyst in a continuous downflow metal reactor are presented. The process parameters such as temperature and flow rate influence the product distribution. The P 2 O 5 , B 2 O 3 and Na 2 O when used as dopant on V 2 O 5 –MoO 3 catalyst showed marked influence on activity and selectivity. An acidic catalyst like V 2 O 5 -MoO 3 –P 2 O 5 favours formation of benzoic acid while a basic catalyst like V 2 O 5 –MoO 3 –Na 2 O favours formation of benzaldehyde. The addition of Na 2 O into V 2 O 5 –MoO 3 binary oxides formed new phases (NaVMoO 6 and Na 2 V 2 Mo 3 O 15 ), which increased Arrhenius activation energy from 18.24 to 31.35 kcal mol −1