Gas-phase oxidative carbonylation of methane to acetic acid over zeolites

Gas-phase oxidative carbonylation of methane was first performed on ZSM-5 zeolites. The addition of water vapor to a mixture of carbonylation gases leads to a multiple (by two orders of magnitude) increase in acetic acid yield. Zeolites with high acidity, primarily Brønsted acidity, favor the target product formation.