Abstract:
A PROCESS IS DISCLOSED FOR THE PREPARATION OF ACETIC ACID BY THE OXIDATION WITH OXYGEN OR WITH AN OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS, OF ONE OR MORE LOW MOLECULAR WEIGHT UNSATURATED HYDROCARBONS CONTAINING MORE THAN 2 CARBON ATOMS, WHEREIN THE REACTION IS CONDUCTED WITH A QUANTITY OF UNSATURATED HYDROCARBON BETWEEN 1.5% AND 10% BY VOLUME WITH RESPECT TO THE REACTION MIXTURE; WITH A MOLAR RATIO OXYGEN/UNSATURATED HYDROCARBON BETWEEN 1:1 AND 5:1; AT A TEMPERATURE OF FROM 250* TO 500* C.; WITH A CONTACT TIME BETWEEN 0.1 AND 20 SECONDS; AND IN THE PRESENCE OF A CATALYST CONSISTING OR CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF; MOLYBDENUM, VANADIUM, OXYGEN AND, OPTIONALLY, ANTIMONY, ACTIVATED BY HEATING AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 400* AND 650* C. AND IN WHICH THE ATOMIC RATIOS BETWEEN THE ELEMENTS MO, V AND SB CORRESPOND TO THE EMPIRICAL FORMULA: MOA VB SBC WHEREIN A+B+C=100, A VARIES FROM 5 TO 95, B VARIES FROM 5 TO 95 AND C VARIES FROM 0 TO 90.