SELECTIVE HETEROGENEOUS OXIDATION OF LIGHT ALKANES - WHAT DIFFERENTIATES ALKANE FROM ALKENE FEEDSTOCKS

Some aspects of the reactivity of vanadyl pyrophosphate catalysts in n-butane and n-pentane oxidation and propane ammoxidation are discussed in order to illustrate differences and peculiarities of the catalysts for the selective oxidation of alkanes in comparison to the catalysts for the selective oxidation of alkenes. The formation of alkenes as reaction intermediates, the catalytic and mechanistic differences in alkane and alkene conversion, their different effects in changing the active surface configuration, the relationship between surface concentration of adspecies and catalytic behavior, and the problem of the surface isolation of the active intermediates are discussed. Some brief economic considerations about the advantages of the various processes of alkane oxidation as compared to alkene or aromatic oxidation are also given.