Effect of the amounts and proportions of active components on the activity and selectivity of a catalyst for vinyl acetate synthesis by gas-phase ethylene acetoxylation

The activity, selectivity, and service life of a palladium-, gold-, and potassium acetate-containing catalyst for vinyl acetate (VA) synthesis are reported as a function of the catalyst composition. Equations relating these performance parameters to the percentage of each component are suggested. General relation-ships between the catalytic activity and the component contents are established for optimization of the catalyst composition. These relationships have been validated by bench tests. The average activity of the 1.5% Pd + 0.75% Au + 5.0% KOAc catalyst is 700 (g VA)/(l Cat h), and its ethylene-to-VA conversion selectivity is 93–95%.