The Effect of Water on the Heterogeneously Catalyzed Selective Oxidation of Acrolein: An Isotope Study

The effect of water on the selective gas phase oxidation of acrolein to acrylic acid on a Mo/V/W mixed oxide catalyst was studied by performing steady‐state isotopic transient kinetic analysis experiments with H218O. Experiments were performed in the temperature range of 90–345 °C at ambient pressure. It could be shown that acrolein exchanges its carbonylic oxygen with oxygen from water even at low temperatures (<200 °C), at which no acrolein oxidation occurs. At higher temperatures (>200 °C), the oxygen atoms of the water molecules incorporate into all oxidation products such as acrylic acid, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide.