Catalyst of chlorination and combined chlorination/fluorination based on copper/calcium/fluoride

Claim 1

Process of chlorination of organic compounds which contain a CH group susceptible to attack by chlorine, by use of HCl and elemental oxygen, wherein material to be chlorinated is passed in vapor phase, together with HCl and elemental oxygen, in contact with a catalyst as defined below at temperatures in the range 200° C. to 550° C., which catalyst consists essentially of a calcium fluoride matrix and a thermally stable phase containing copper ion, calcium ion, and alkali metal or ammonium ion in combination with fluoride ion, which phase is herein referred to as the "A phase"; said catalyst having Debye-Scherrer X-ray diffraction pattern including lines characteristic of calcium fluoride and lines, characteristic of the A phase, having the following Bragg spacings in Angstrom units and the following relative intensities (I/I 1 ): ______________________________________ Bragg spacings Relative intensities ______________________________________ 4.68 100 2.87 70 2.34 50 2.03 55 ______________________________________ said catalyst being thermally stable to at least 600° C. upon heating for 24 hours.