Abstract:
A process for producing anhydrides of benzenepolycarboxylic acids by the vapor-phase oxidation of aromatic hydrocarbons selected from the group consisting of naphthalene, octahydroanthracene and polyalkylbenzenes containing at least two alkyl substituents in ortho position to one another and having the general formula
WHEREIN R1 and R2 are alkyl radicals having a straight or branched chain and containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms and R3 and R4 are radicals selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and alkyl radicals containing 1 to 4 carbon atoms, the total number of carbon atoms of said polyalkylbenzenes being no higher than 18, said process comprising oxidizing said aromatic hydrocarbons at a temperature of between about 300* and 550*C and in the presence of a catalyst consisting of a refractory carrier and vanadium oxide, said catalyst prepared by impregnating said refractory carrier with an oxytrihalide of vanadium in which the halide is selected from the group consisting of chlorine and bromine, hydrolyzing said oxytrihalide and vanadium and then calcining said catalyst.