Patent ID: 7888281

Claim:
A process for producing at least one of an unsaturated aldehyde and an unsaturated carboxylic acid, comprising subjecting a feed gas mixture including an alkane, an alkene, or a mixture thereof, and air or oxygen, and, optionally, one or more diluting gases, to a vapor phase oxidation in a heated reactor in the presence of a solid catalyst comprising a compound having the formula A a B b X x Y y Z z O o wherein A is at least one of the group of elements Mo, W and Zr, B is at least one of the group of elements Bi, Sb, Se and Te, X is at least one of the group of elements Al, Bi, Ca, Ce, Co, Fe, Ga, Mg, Ni, Sn, W and Zn, Y, if present, is at least one of the group of elements Ag, Au, B, Cr, Cs, Cu, K, La, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, Nb, Ni, P, Pb, Rb, Re, Ru, Sn, Te, Ti, Zr, and Z, if present, is at least one element selected from said X or Y groups or from the following: As, Ba, Pd, Pt, Sr, or mixtures thereof, and wherein a=1, 0.05<b<1.5, 0.01<x<1, 0<y<0.5, 0<z<0.2 and o is dependent on the oxidation state of the other elements.