Abstract
The kinetics and mechanism of vapor-phase ammoxidation of furfural to 2-furonitrile, and of 2-thiophenealdehyde to 2-thiophenenitrile, were studied over the Mo-Bi-Sb catalyst (molar ratio 3 : 5 : 2) in an integral flow fixed bed reactor under atmospheric pressure. The reaction temperature was 390°for furfural and 400°for 2-thiophenealdehyde. In both cases, the selectivity of nitrile was maximum with high conversion of aldehyde and the by-products formed were negligible in amounts. The reaction rate depended on the partial pressure of aldehyde and oxygen, but unaffected by that of ammonia. Model fitting was tried by the non-linear least square method, and the experimental data were well interpreted by the Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism, where the rate controlling step was the surface reaction between adsorbed aldehyde molecules and adsorbed oxygen molecules.
