Catalytic oxidation and oxidative dehydrogenation using

Abstract

Compositions comprising certain metal-containing materials distributed interactively on a deboronated HAMS-1B crystalline borosilicate molecular sieve which are useful for catalytically oxidizing or oxidatively dehydrogenating organic compounds such as alkanes, aromatics, and alkyl-substituted aromatics are described. Alkanes are oxidatively dehydrogenated to olefins, and an aromatic compound such as benzene can be oxidized by nitric and/or nitrous oxide to largely phenol or largely nitrobenzene depending upon the oxidation temperature. When the compound is a methylaromatic, oxidation produces an aromatic aldehyde. Alkyl groups larger than methyl oxidatively dehydrogenate to alkenyl groups. The compositions can be used in a process to separate p-xylene from a mixture of its isomers based upon the ability of the compositions, which preferably comprise a iron molybdenum material interactively distributed on a deboronated HAMS-1B crystalline borosilicate molecular sieve, to selectively oxidize the p-xylene to an aldehyde or dialdehyde while not substantially oxidizing the ortho and metaxylene isomers. Such partially oxidized mixtures of p-xylene are useful to make TPAA or as feeds to a water-based, further oxidation to make terephthalic acid. Carbon dioxide used as a carrier gas with a methylaromatic feed to the oxidation catalyst is shown to have a beneficial effect on yield and selectivity.