This is a study of the partial oxidation of methane to methanol by either molecular oxygen or nitrous oxide over vanadia-based catalysts. Several similar silica-supported vanadia catalysts, varying by both loadings and pretreatments, are used. The oxidation of methanol is also examined underreaction conditions so that rate constants can be determined. Temperature- programmed reaction,infrared and Raman spectroscopies, and selective chemisorption are used to characterize the catalyst surfaces. The kinetics of methane and methanol oxidations are determined and used to test various mechanistic hypotheses. This work represents a systematic approach to one of the most active technological problems of the times--the conversion ofmethane (natural gas) into a liquid fuel (methanol).
