Production of nitriles

Claim 1

IN THE PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF NITRILES CONTAINING AT LEAST TWO CARBON ATOMS PER MOLECULE, WHICH INCLUDES CONTACTING A HYDROCARBON SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS CONTAINING AT LEAST SEVEN AND UP TO TWELVE, INCLUSIVE, CARBON ATOMS PER MOLECULE AND HAVING AT LEAST ONE NUCLEAR HYDROGEN REPLACED A UNIVALENT, ALIPHATIC, NON-ACETYLENIC HYDROCARBON RADICAL, AND NON-ACETYLENIC ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS CONTAINING AT LEAST TWO AND UP TO ABOUT TEN CARBON ATOMS PER MOLECULE, WITH AMMONIA, IN THE GASEOUS PHASE, AT TEMPERATURES FALLING WITHIN THE RANGE VARYING BETWEEN ABOUT 850* F. AND ABOUT 1250*F., AND IN THE PRESENCE OF A CATALYST COMPRISING A MOLYBEDENUM OXIDE; THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING SAID HYDROCARBON WITH AMMONIA IN THE PRESENCE OF SAID CATALYST CONTAINING ADDITIONALLY AN OXIDE OF A METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF COPPER, SILVER, GOLD, BERYLIUM, MAGNESIUM, ZINC, CADMIUM, THORIUM, MERCURY, SILICON, TITANIUM, GERMANIUM, ZIRCONIUM, TIN, HAFNIUM, URANIUM, LEAD, TUNGSTEN, MANGANESE, AND CERIUM.