Mechanistic Studies on the Transition Metal Oxide Catalysed Partial Oxidation of (Meth)Acrolein to the Corresponding Carboxylic Acids

The partial oxidation of unsaturated aldehydes such as acrolein and methacrolein to the corresponding carboxylic acids is of big importance for the chemical industry. The heart of these production plants is the oxidation catalyst. Acrylic acid is produced via the selective oxidation of acrolein on Mo/V/W mixed oxides with an excellent catalytic performance (S > 90 %, X > 95 %, life time >3 a). Under the same conditions the conversion of methacrolein to methacrylic acid has a poor catalytic performance (S