Patent ID: 6989460

Claim:
A method for producing an unsaturated nitrile, which comprises subjecting a mixture of an alkene, an alkane and ammonia to a vapor phase catalytic oxidation reaction in the presence of a catalyst containing a mixed metal oxide having the formula A a M m N n X x O o wherein A is at least one element selected from the group consisting of molybdenum and tungsten, M is at least one element selected from then group consisting of vanadium and cerium, N is at least one element selected from the group consisting of tellurium, antimony and selenium, and X is at least one element selected from the group consisting of niobium, tantalum, titanium, aluminum, zirconium, chromium, manganese, iron, ruthenium, cobalt, rhodium, nickel, platinum, antimony, bismuth, boron, indium, arsenic, germanium, tin, lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, cesium, francium, beryllium, magnesium, calcium, strontium, barium, hafnium, lead, phosphorus, promethium, europium, gadolinium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium, gold, silver, palladium, gallium, zinc, praseodymium, rhenium, iridium, neodymium, yttrium, samarium and terbium; and wherein when a=1, m=0.01 to 1.0, n=0.01 to 1.0, x=0.01 to 1.0 and o is dependent on the oxidation state of the other elements.