JPS5140391

The oxidation catalyst has the general formula XaAbDcEdFefBigMo12Ox, wherein: X is yttrium, zirconium, silver, sulphur, cerium, thorium, praseodymium, ruthenium, gallium, niobium, germanium, chromium, tin, manganese, indium, copper, tungsten, tantalum, tellurium, lanthanum, or a mixture thereof, A is an alkali metal, thallium or a mixture thereof, D is nickel, cobalt, magnesium, strontium, calcium, zinc, cadmium or a mixture thereof, E is phosphorus, arsenic, boron, tungsten, antimony or a mixture thereof, it also being possible for E to be sulphur if X is tungsten, a is a number greater than 0 and smaller than 5, b and d are numbers from 0 to 4, c is a number from 0.1 to 20, f and g are numbers from 0.1 to 10 and x is the number of oxygen atoms required for saturating the valency of the other elements present. The catalyst can be used for a very wide range of oxidation reactions, such as the oxidative dehydrogenation of olefins and oxidation and ammoxidation of methyl-substituted aromatic compounds.