| abstract |
A butene may be oxidized in the vapor phase at elevated temperatures to produce acetic acid by reacting the butene with molecular oxygen in the presence of a catalyst comprising a composition of the empirical formula: VfSbgXhMeiOJ wherein V is vanadium, Sb is antimony, and O is oxygen, wherein X represents a metal which is one or more of Bi, Nb, Co, Nd, Sm, Zn, Zr or Cr, and wherein Me represents a metal which is one or more of Al, Fe or Sn, the metal represented by Me being optionally present. |