Oxidation of hydrocarbons

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE CONVERSION OF HYDROCARBONS TO INTERMEDIATE OXYGENATED ORGANIC COMPOUNDS WHICH COMPRISES PASSING IN VAPOR FROM A HYDROCARBON SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF NORMALLY GASEOUS ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS AND THE AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS HAVING MOLECULAR WEIGHTS NOT HIGHER THAN NAPHTHALENE THROUGH A FIRST PASSAGEWAY OF RELATIVELY RESTRICTED CROSS-SECTION AT A RELATIVELY HIGH VELOCITY INTO A FIRST ENLARGE REACTION ZONE CONTAINING FINELY DIVIDED CONTACT MATERIAL COMPRISING COOPER OXIDE AS SUBSTANTIALLY THE SOLE OXIDIZING MATERIAL, PASSING SAID HYDROCARBON VAPORS UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID FIRST REACTION ZONE AT A RELATIVELY LOW VELOCITY EFFECTIVE TO MAINTAIN SAID CONTACT MATERIAL AS A RELATIVELY DENSE TURBULENT PSEUDO-LIQUID MASS HAVING A DEFINITE LEVEL THEREIN TO FORM AN UPPER SOLIDS-GAS DISENGAGING ZONE, MAINTAINING SAID FIRST REACTION ZONE AT AN APPROPRIATE TEMPERATURE SUCH THAT COPPER OXIDE REACTS WITH SAID HYDROCARBON TO PRODUCE INTERMEDIATE OXYGENATED ORGANIC COMPOUNDS AND TO SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCE THE COPPER OXIDE AND AT WHICH TEMPERATURE THE FINELY DIVIDED COPPER OXIDE IS MAINTAINED IN A FLUIDIZED CONDITION, CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING INTERMEDIATE OXYGENATED ORGANIC COMPOUNDS AND REDUCED COPPER OXIDE FROM SAID FIRST REACTION ZONE, PASSING AIR THROUGH A SECOND PASSGEWAY OF RELTIVELY RESTRICTED CROSS-SECTION AT A RELATIVELY HIGH VELOCITY INTO A SECOND ENLARGED REACTION ZONE CONTAINING REDUCED COPPER OXIDE, PASSING AIR UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID SECOND REACTION ZONE AT A RELATIVELY