Operating principles of mild oxidation catalysts
Selective redox catalysis

Catalysts for mild oxidation are oxides and oxysalts (phosphates, sulfates) of transition metals from the first columns of the periodic table (V, Nb, Mo, W, etc.). These crystallized oxide catalysts are naturally polyfunctional. They exhibit the acidic (Lewis and Brønsted O—H), electronic (semiconductivity) and redox properties required in any oxidation reaction. The Meⁿ⁺ cations most active in controlled oxidation are V⁵⁺ and Mo⁶⁺, which subsequently reduce and reoxidize very readily. As the cation is reducible, it is the properties of the Meⁿ⁺—O^2– couple on the surface of the solid oxide that are important vis-à-vis the reaction to be carried out, and which are responsible for the selectivity in the targeted product. This...