Patent ID: 7404936

Claim:
A method of conducting a reaction, comprising: flowing at least one reactant into a microchannel; wherein the microchannel comprises a graded catalyst; reacting the at least one reactant in the presence of the graded catalyst within the microchannel; wherein the reactant, or reactants, and catalyst are selected such that the step of reacting is selected from the group consisting of: acetylation, addition reactions, alkylation, dealkylation, hydrodealkylation, reductive alkylation, amination, ammoxidation, ammonia synthesis, aromatization, arylation, autothermal reforming, carbonylation, decarbonylation, reductive carbonylation, carboxylation, reductive carboxylation, reductive coupling, condensation, cracking, hydrocracking, cyclization, cyclooligomerization, dehalogenation, dimerization, epoxidation, esterification, exchange, Fischer-Tropsch, halogenation, hydrohalogenation, homologation, hydration, dehydration, hydrogenation, dehydrogenation, hydrocarboxylation, hydroformylation, hydrogenolysis, hydrometallation, hydrosilation, hydrolysis, hydrotreating (HDS/HDN), isomerization, methylation, demethylation, metathesis, nitration, polymerization, reduction, reformation, reverse water gas shift, Sabatier, sulfonation, telomerization, transesterification, trimerization, and water gas shift; wherein the graded catalyst has a varying thermal conductivity such that the thermal conductivity in one part of the graded catalyst is at least 50% higher than in another part of the graded catalyst; and forming at least one product.