EFFECT OF STRUCTURE IN SELECTIVE OXIDE CATALYSIS - OXIDATION REACTIONS OF ETHANOL AND ETHANE ON VANADIUM-OXIDE

The catalytic activity of well-characterized samples of vanadium oxide supported on silica were studied for the partial oxidation of ethanol and ethane. Surface vanadium atoms were counted by a new oxygen chemisorption technique which allowed measurements of sample dispersions and turnover rates. Ethanol oxidation was found to be a structure-insensitive reaction that produced mostly acetaldehyde. Ethane oxidation was different; while its overall turnover rate changed little with vanadium oxide dispersion, its selectivity did vary with catalyst structure. The products of this reaction were mostly ethylene and acetaldehyde, but at low temperatures on the highest dispersion catalysts there was excess carbon dioxide formation. © 1990 American Chemical Society.