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Abstract

Polycrystalline MoVTeNb oxide composed of the M1 phase was studied in the transformation of propene at reaction temperatures between 323 and 573 K in the absence of oxygen and water. Surprisingly, the catalyst showed considerable activity in propene metathesis to ethene and 2-butenes, which was attributed to partial reduction of the catalyst surface under the reaction conditions. The multifunctionality of the M1 phase, which is known as a selective catalyst for the direct oxidation of propane to acrylic acid, was furthermore reflected in the formation of 1-butene and isobutene owing to C4 isomerization. This study demonstrates the diversity of the M1 phase as a catalyst, which is based on surface dynamics and structural stability, and further improves the understanding of the complex reaction network of short-chain hydrocarbons over MoVTeNbO M1 catalysts.