Catalytic vapor-phase oxidation of 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol

The synthesis of trifluoroacetaldehyde by vapor-phase oxidation of 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol using supported vanadium catalysts was studied. Significant differences were observed in the reaction outcomes resulting from different types of catalysts. The ZrO2- and Al2O3-supported catalyst demonstrated both high catalytic activity and selectivity. The addition of co-catalysts such as MoO3 or SnO2 improved catalytic performance (Selectivity: up to 91%; S.T.Y.: >200 g L−1 h−1). The experimental results on catalyst lifetime showed a marked decrease in the activity of the Al2O3-supported catalyst within tens of hours, while the ZrO2-supported catalyst showed little, if any, performance alterations for 2000 h.