Patent ID: 7009075

Claim:
A process for producing an unsaturated carboxylic acid from an alkane comprising: contacting an alkane and molecular oxygen with a catalyst composition of the formula: MoV a Nb b Te c Sb d M e O x wherein Mo is molybdenum, V is vanadium, Nb is niobium, Te is tellurium, Sb is antimony and M is one or more elements selected from the group consisting of silver, silicon, sulfur, zirconium, titanium, aluminum, copper, lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, cesium, gallium, phosphorus, iron, rhenium, cobalt, chromium, manganese, arsenic, indium, thallium, bismuth, germanium, tin, cerium and lanthanum; a is 0.05 to 0.99; b is 0.01 to 0.99; c is 0.01 to 0.15; d is 0.01 to 0.2; e is 0 to 0.5; and x is determined by the valence requirements of the other components of the catalyst composition.