Scheelite: a versatile structural template for selective alkene oxidation catalysts

The scheelite (CaWO4) structure type serves as the framework for a wide variety of metal oxide catalysts used for the selective oxidation and ammoxidation of alkenes. Among the industrially important processes where these catalysts find application are propylene oxidation to acrolein, propylene ammoxidation to acrylonitrile and butene oxidative dehydrogenation to butadiene. This review examines the body of work used to understand the structure-function relationship of bismuth molybdate scheelite catalysts in selective ammoxidation of propylene to acrylonitrile including the work on the unique bismuth-cerium molybdate solid solution series of selective ammoxidation catalysts.