Chromium oxide compositions containing zinc, their preparation and their use as catalysts and catalyst precursors

1. A chromium-containing catalyst composition, comprising:

ZnCr 2 O 4 ; and

crystalline α-chromium oxide;

wherein the ZnCr 2 O 4 contains between 10 atom percent and 67 atom percent of the chromium in the composition and at least 70 atom percent of the zinc in the composition, and wherein at least 90 atom percent of the chromium present as chromium oxide in the composition is present as ZnCr 2 O 4 or crystalline α-chromium oxide.

2. The chromium-containing catalyst composition of claim 1 wherein the ZnCr 2 O 4 contains between 20 atom percent and 50 atom percent of the chromium in the composition.

3. The chromium-containing catalyst composition of claim 1 wherein the ZnCr 2 O 4 contains at least 90 atom percent of the zinc in the composition.

4. The chromium-containing catalyst composition of claim 1 wherein greater than 95% of the chromium that is not present as zinc chromite is present as crystalline α-chromium oxide.

5. The chromium-containing catalyst composition of claim 1 which consists essentially of ZnCr 2 O 4 and crystalline α-chromium oxide.

6. A chromium-containing catalyst composition prepared by treatment of the composition of claim 1 with a fluorinating agent.

7. The chromium-containing catalyst composition of claim 6 wherein the fluorinating agent is anhydrous hydrogen fluoride.

8. A process for changing the fluorine distribution in a halogenated hydrocarbon, or incorporating fluorine in a saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon, in the presence of a catalyst characterized by: using as a catalyst at least one composition selected from the group consisting of (i) the chromium-containing catalyst compositions of claim 1 and (ii) chromium-containing catalyst compositions prepared by treatment of a composition of claim 1 with a fluorinating agent.

9. The process of claim 8 wherein the fluorine content of a halogenated hydrocarbon compound or an unsaturated hydrocarbon compound is increased by reacting said compound with hydrogen fluoride in the vapor phase in the presence of said catalyst composition.

10. The process of claim 8 wherein the fluorine content of a halogenated hydrocarbon compound or a hydrocarbon compound is increased by reacting said compound with HF and Cl 2 in the vapor phase in the presence of said catalyst composition.

11. The process of claim 8 wherein the fluorine distribution in a halogenated hydrocarbon compound is changed by isomerizing said halogenated hydrocarbon compound in the presence of said catalyst composition.

12. The process of claim 8 wherein the fluorine distribution in a halogenated hydrocarbon compound is changed by disproportionating said halogenated hydrocarbon compound in the vapor phase in the presence of said catalyst composition.

13. The process of claim 8 wherein the fluorine content of a halogenated hydrocarbon compound is decreased by dehydrofluorinating said halogenated hydrocarbon compound in the presence of said catalyst composition.

14. The process of claim 8 wherein the fluorine content of a halogenated hydrocarbon compound is decreased by reacting said halogenated hydrocarbon compound with hydrogen chloride in the vapor phase in the presence of said catalyst composition.

15. A method for preparing the chromium-containing catalyst composition of claim 1 comprising:

(a) co-precipitating a solid by adding ammonium hydroxide to an aqueous solution of a soluble zinc salt and a soluble trivalent chromium salt that contains at least three moles of nitrate per mole of obromium in the solution and has a zinc concentration of from 5 mole % to 25 mole % of the total concentration of zinc and chromium in the solution and where at least three moles of ammonium per mole of chromium in the solution has been added to the solution;

(b) collecting the co-precipitated solid formed in (a);

(c) drying the collected solid; and

(d) calcining the dried solid.

16. The process of claim 15 wherein ZnCr 2 O 4 is formed during (d).