Reactivation of cuprous oxide oxidation catalysts

Claim 1

A CONTINUOUS PROCESS OF OXIDIZING AN OLEFIN CONTAINING AT LEAST THREE CARBON ATOMS BY REACTION WITH MOLECULAR OXYGEN IN THE PRESENCE OF A SOLID CATALYST ESSENTIALLY COMPRISING CUPROUS OXIDE TO FORM AN UNSATURATED CARBONYLIC COMPOUND OF THE GROUP CONSISTING OF THE UNSATURATED ALDEHYDE AND THE UNSATURATED KETONES, COMPRISING PASSING A GASEOUS MIXTURE COMPRISING ONE MOLE PART OF OXYGEN WITH AT LEAST TWO MOLE PARTS OF THE OLEFIN INTO CONTACT WITH THE CATALYST UNDER PREDETERMINED CONDITIONS OF TEMPERATURE, PRESSURE, AND COMPOSITION OF THE MIXTURE, WHEREBY THE OLEFIN IS OXIDIZED TO FORM A GASEOUS PRODUCT CONTAINING SAID CARBONYLIC COMPOUND, SEPARATING THE GASEOUS PRODUCT FROM THE CATALYST, WHEN THE ACTIVITY OF THE CATALYST HAS DECREASED TO A PREDETERMINED LOWER VALUE DISCONTINUING THE FLOW OF MOLECULAR OXYGEN TO THE CATALYST FOR A BRIEF INTERVAL OF TIME WHILE MAINTAINING THE CONDITIONS OTHERWISE SUBSTANTIALLY UNCHANGED, AND THEN RESTORING THE FLOW OF OXYGEN TO THE CATALYST.