Stationary Kinetics of Light Olefin Oxidation by Hydrogen Peroxide in Aqueous Alkali Solutions in the Presence of Fe(III) Oxide

The steady-state kinetics of ethylene and propylene oxidation by hydrogen peroxide in the presence of Fe(III) oxide in aqueous solutions with the permanent adding of H₂O₂ to the reaction medium was studied. The use of an original method for the study of the steady-state reaction kinetics with gas chromatographic detection of substrate consumption from the gas phase made it possible to estimate the apparent rate constants of ethylene oxidation, the ratio of the rate constants of propylene and ethylene oxidation, the reaction orders with respect to the substrate and oxidant concentration, the dependence of the apparent rate constant of ethylene oxidation on the catalyst weight and on the pH of solution, and the apparent activation energy of the process under condition of substrate distribution between the gas and liquid phases. It was found that the kinetic isotope effect in ethylene oxidation is almost absent when completely deuterated ethylene is used.