Selective Oxidation by Heterogeneous Catalysis

'The authors set out to accomplish two challenging goals in the writing of this book and they successfully accomplished both of them. Their first goal was to give examples of important, representative new catalytic oxidations and to consider them in a way that could lead to greater understanding of these reactions so that this insight might provide better design of catalytic oxidation processes. The second goal that the authors set out was to take a fresh look at long established ideas and concepts, to ascertain their limitations and, by so doing delineate guidelines for future research. Although the authors state, early on, that their goal is not to provide a comprehensive review of new oxidation process technology, they do a fine job of doing just that. Almost all new, and many established heterogeneous catalytic oxidation process technologies are covered at some point in this volume. Along with some aspects of olefin epoxidation, aromatic hydroxylation and others, detailed descriptions of nearly all aspects of the heterogeneous catalytic oxidation and ammoxidation of alkanes, alkenes and alkyl aromatics are provided from many different points of view including the catalysts, reaction conditions, applications, process concepts, reactor design and mechanisms. The authors also highlight the enormous contributions made by catalytic oxidation technology to the chemical industry, noting that more than half the products made using catalytic processes and nearly all the monomers used for the production of fibers and plastics are obtained through selective oxidation. I recommend it to all who are working in the field of catalysis, especially those in the area of catalytic oxidation or anyone who is contemplating entering this field. It will be a worthwhile addition to the library of those interested in catalytic oxidation, not only as a reference work full of important information, but as a stimulating compendium of ideas that can focus one's approach on exciting new areas of oxidation catalysis in order to design new and useful chemical processes. In conclusion, this volume is well written, informative, interesting, and thought provoking. It will be a valuable addition to the literature of heterogeneous catalytic oxidation.' Dr. James E. Lyons in Cattech Journal, 5:2 (2001)