Catalytic Oxidations with Oxygen: An Industrial Perspective

Abstract

The selective catalytic oxidation of organic molecules continues as a prominent reaction pathway in the synthesis of primary chemicals used by the chemical industry to synthesize high-value-added products. The catalysts include both soluble metal compounds in liquid reaction media (homogeneous catalysis) and the surfaces of metals or metal oxide compounds in gas or liquid reaction media (heterogeneous catalysis). The important characteristics of homogeneous catalytic oxidation reactions are mild conditions and high activity/selectivity, and of heterogeneous catalytic oxidation reactions are ease of separation of product from catalyst, recovery of the high-valued heat from the reaction for energy export, and ease of conducting the reaction in a continuous fashion. The higher reaction temperatures required for heterogeneous catalytic oxidation dictate that high reaction selectivities are often more difficult to achieve, whereas catalyst separation and recovery from product are often a challenge with homogeneous catalyst systems. Irrespective of the phase in which the catalyst is functioning, any viable commercial catalytic system must be highly selective, highly active, and stable in the reaction media.