Patent ID: 7674944

Claim:
A method for preparing vinyl chloride from substituted or unsubstituted ethane, the method comprising providing substituted or unsubstituted ethane, a chlorinating agent and a gaseous oxidant to a reaction zone containing a catalyst and a co-catalyst, the catalyst consisting essentially of Ni, a Ni oxide, a Ni salt, or mixtures thereof and one or more components chosen from the group consisting of Ti, Ta, Nb, Co, Hf, W, Zn, Zr, Al, oxides thereof and salts thereof, or mixtures thereof, and the co-catalyst having activity to chlorinate or oxychlorinate ethylene to vinyl chloride, and dehydrogenating the substituted or unsubstituted ethane to form substituted or unsubstituted ethylene; and chlorinating or oxychlorinating the unsubstituted or substituted ethylene to form substituted or unsubstituted vinyl chloride.