Oxidation of alpha, beta unsaturated aldehydes in the presence of a catalyst containing v, p, mn and o

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE OXIDATION OF UNSATURATED ALIPHATIC ALDEHYDES TO THE CORRESPONDING ACIDS WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING AT A TEMPERATURE OF BETWEEN 150*C AND 600 C. A GASEOUS MIXTURE OF AN UNSATURATED ALIPHATIC ALDEHYDE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ACROLEIN, CROTONALDEHYDE, METHACROLEIN, 2-METHYL-2-BUTENAL AND 2METHYL-2-PENTENAL, OXYGEN, AND STEAM WITH A CATALYTIC COMPLEXED COMPOSITION COMPRISING A COMPLEX OF VANADIUM, OXYGEN, PHOSPHORUS, AND MANGANESE, WHEREIN THE CATALYTIC COMPLEX CONSTITUTES AT LEAST 50 PERCENT OF SAID COMPOSITION AND WHEREIN THE RELATIVE ATOMIC PORPORTIONS OF THE CATALYST ARE FROM ABOUT 0.15 TO 0.50 ATOM OF VANADIUM TO ABOUT 0.30 TO 0.70 ATOM OF PHOSPHORUS TO ABOUT 0.05 TO 0.35 ATOM OF MANGANESE, SAID ALDEHYDE BEING PRESENT IN A CONCENTRATION OF ABOUT 0.50 TO 3.0 MOL PERCENT BASED ON THE TOTAL GASEOUS MIXTURE EXCLUDING STEAM AND WHEREIN SAID ALDEHYDE IS INTRODUCED AT A RATE OF BETWEEN 20-200 GRAMS OF ALDEHYDE PER LITER OF CATALYST PER HOUR AND WHEREIN THE OXYGEN IS PRESENT FROM ABOUT ONEHALF TO 40 MOLS OF OXYGEN PER MOL OF ALDEHYDE AND THE STEAM BEING PRESENT IN AN AMOUNT OF BETWEEN 5 AND 95 PERCENT BASED ON THE TOTAL GASEOUS MIXTURE.