Catalyst for propylene ammoxidation to acrylonitrile

Olefins such as propylene and isobutylene are converted to the corresponding unsaturated nitriles, acrylonitrile, and methacrylonitrile, respectively, by reacting a mixture of the olefin, ammonia, and molecular oxygen-containing gas in the presence of a catalyst containing the oxides of molybdenum, bismuth, iron, cobalt, nickel, and chromium, and either phosphorus or antimony or mixtures thereof, and an alkali metal or mixture thereof, and optionally one element selected from the group of an alkaline earth metal, a rare earth metal, niobium, thallium, arsenic, magnesium, zinc, cadmium, vanadium, boron, calcium, tin, germanium, manganese, tungsten, tellurium, or mixtures thereof.