Role of defect structure of active oxides in oxidative coupling of methane

A new approach to the choice of catalysts for oxidative coupling of methane based on the determination of the defect degree is suggested. For the most active catalysts (oxides of rare earth elements (REE), alkaline earth metals (AEM), manganese, lead), it is shown that oxygen defectness is of great importance in this process.Based on the structural approach Bi₂O₃-containing catalytic systems have been suggested. They have C₂-hydrocarbon formation activity and selectivity to be comparable with those ones for most active catalysts as REE oxides.