Oxidation of propene‐1‐14C to acrolein on copper catalysts

Abstract Propene‐1‐14C was partially oxidised with air to acrolein on a copper catalyst. The acrolein formed was degraded: equal amounts of radioactivity were found on carbon atoms 1 and 3, while essentially no radioactivity was found on the middle carbon atom (2). The “unreacted” propene was also degraded: a major part of the radioactivity was still on carbon atom 1, while a small part (10‐20%) was on carbon atom 3; no radioactivity was found on the middle carbon atom (2). These facts indicate that the oxidation of propene to acrolein on a copper catalyst takes place via a symmetrical intermediate. Partial isomerisation of unreacted propene also occurred when copper shavings were used as a catalyst. When D2O was present during the reaction, the unreacted propene was monodeuterated to only a very small extent (∼2%).