Oxidative Coupling of Methane over W‐Mn/SiO₂ Catalyst

W‐Mn/SiO 2 catalyst has been developed in our laboratory (LICP), which is active, selective and stable for oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) in fixed bed and fluidized bed reactors. The research results have been reproduced at different reaction conditions by two groups of J. H. Lunsford (JH‐LL) from Texas A & M University and R. M. Lambert (RMLL) from University of Cambridge respectively. The basic research aspects on this catalyst systems, reaction performances, structure characterization and reaction mechanism were reviewed. A model on two active sites related to W 6+/5+ and Mn 3+/2+ has been suggested for activation of methane and oxygen respectively.