Mutual effect of benzene and maleic anhydride in selective heterogeneous catalytic oxidation of benzene

It is shown that in the oxidation of benzene (B) by molecular oxygen over a vanadium-molybdenum oxide catalyst the introduction of maleic anhydride (MA) into the reaction mixture suppresses the formation of carbon oxides but does not alter the rate for formation of MA from B. It has been found by programmed thermal desorption that B and MA are adsorbed at different active sites on the catalyst.