FIELD: chemistry.
SUBSTANCE: invention relates to a catalyst for the reaction of formaldehyde or a suitable source thereof with a carboxylic acid or ester to produce an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid or ester, preferably an α,β-position ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid or ester, where the catalyst includes a metal oxide having at least two types of metal cations, M1 and M2, where M1 is at least one metal selected from group 3 or 4 in the 4th to 6th periods of the periodic table, group 13 in the 3rd to 5th periods of the periodic table, or the remaining elements in the lanthanide series, namely scandium, yttrium, lanthanide elements, titanium, zirconium, hafnium, aluminium, gallium, indium, and M2 is at least one metal selected from group 5 in the 5th or 6th periods of the periodic table or group 15 in the 4th or 5th periods of the periodic table, namely niobium, tantalum, arsenic and antimony, wherein the ratio of M1:M2 is in the range of 5:1 to 1:5 and wherein the metal oxide based catalyst compound according to the invention does not include other types of metals above the 0.1 mol% level, different from M1, M2 and, optionally, M3 and/or M4. The present invention also relates to the method of producing an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid or ester and to the use of the catalyst (versions).
EFFECT: obtaining the catalyst which provides high catalytic activity in the reaction of formaldehyde or a suitable source thereof with a carboxylic acid or ester to obtain ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acids or esters.
33 cl, 13 ex, 6 tbl
