Mechanism of heterogeneous oxidation of acrolein to acrylic acid

A summary and analysis is given of results in the literature, and of our own results, of investigations into the mechanism of the heterogeneous oxidation of acrolein on oxide catalysts. The mechanism by which acrylic acid and oxides of carbon are formed from acrolein and oxygen is discussed. General principles for the interaction of acrolein with oxide catalysts are considered, and special attention is given to the nature of adsorption centres and the role of surface compounds of acrolein and acrylic acid, in the course of acrolein oxidation. On the basis of a proposed mechanism, some principles are formulated for the specific selection of catalysts for the selective oxidation of acrolein to acrylic acid. The bibliography includes 74 references.