Method for enhancing the productivity of vanadium antimony oxide catalysts

摘要

A process for the manufacture of an improved vanadium antimony oxide oxidation or ammoxidation catalyst which comprises heat treating the catalyst at a temperature above 780° C. in the presence of an oxygen enriched environment. Such catalysts are useful in processes for the ammoxidation of a C₃-C₅ paraffinic hydrocarbon to its corresponding alpha-beta-unsaturated nitrile, the ammoxidation of propylene with NH₃ and oxygen to acrylonitrile, the ammoxidation of methylpyridine with NH₃ and oxygen to make cyanopyridine, the ammoxidation of m-xylene with NH₃ and oxygen to make isophthalonitrile, and the oxidation of o-xylene to make phthalic anhydride.