Process for oxidizing olefins to aldehydes, ketones, and acids

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE CONVERSION OF AN OLEFINIC HYDROCARBON TO A CARBONYL COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ALDEHYDES AND KETONES BY OXIDATION OF AN OLEFINIC CARBON ATOM OF SAID OLEFINIC HYDROCARBON TO A CARBONYL GROUP, WHICH PROCESS CONSISTS ESSENTIALLY OF CONTACTING SAID OLEFINIC HYDROCARBON AND OXYGEN, IN A NEUTRAL TO ACID MEDIUM, WITH WATER AND A CATALYST OF (A) A SALT OF A NOBLE METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF PALLADIUM, IRIDIUM, RUTHENIUM, RHODIUM, AND PLATINUM, AND (B) AS A REDOX SYSTEM, AN INORGANIC SALT OF A METAL SHOWING SEVERAL VALENCE STATES UNDER THE REACTION CONDITIONS APPLIED, SEPARATING GASEOUS AND VAPOROUS REACTION PRODUCTS FROM SAID CATALYST, AND, BEFORE FURTHER PROCESSING OF THESE PRODUCTS, CONTACTING SAID GASEOUS AND VAPOROUS REACTION PRODUCTS, WHICH PRODUCTS CONTAIN TRACE AMOUNTS OF ENTRAINED NOBLE METAL SALTS FROM SAID CATALYST, WITH A LARGE SURFACE OF AT LEAST ONE METAL HAVING AN ELECTROOF ENTRAINED NOBLE METAL SALTS FROM SAID CATALYST, WITH A LARGE SURFACE OF AT LEAST ONE METAL HAVING AN ELECTROCHEMICAL POTENTIAL BETWEEN +1.7 AND 0, WHEREBY SAID REACTION PRODUCTS ARE RENDERED LSS CORROSIVE BY CONVERSION OF THE ELECTROCHEMICALLY ACTIVE NOBLE METAL SALTS THEREIN TO FREE METAL.