Editing Formaldehyde (section)

===Industry===
Formaldehyde is produced industrially by the catalytic oxidation of [[methanol]]. The most common catalysts are [[silver]] metal (i.e. the [[Fasil process|FASIL process]]), [[iron(III) oxide]],<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Wang |first1=Chien-Tsung |last2=Ro |first2=Shih-Hung |date=2005-05-10 |title=Nanocluster iron oxide-silica aerogel catalysts for methanol partial oxidation |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0926860X05001523 |journal=Applied Catalysis A: General |language=en |volume=285 |issue=1 |pages=196–204 |doi=10.1016/j.apcata.2005.02.029 |bibcode=2005AppCA.285..196W |issn=0926-860X|url-access=subscription }}</ref> iron molybdenum [[oxide]]s (e.g. iron(III) [[molybdate]]) with a [[molybdenum]]-enriched surface,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Dias |first1=Ana Paula Soares |last2=Montemor |first2=Fátima |author-link2=Maria de Fátima Montemor|last3=Portela |first3=Manuel Farinha |last4=Kiennemann |first4=Alain |date=2015-02-01 |title=The role of the suprastoichiometric molybdenum during methanol to formaldehyde oxidation over Mo–Fe mixed oxides |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1381116914004774 |journal=Journal of Molecular Catalysis A: Chemical |language=en |volume=397 |pages=93–98 |doi=10.1016/j.molcata.2014.10.022 |issn=1381-1169|url-access=subscription }}</ref> or [[vanadium pentoxide|vanadium]] [[oxide]]s. In the commonly used [[formox process]], methanol and oxygen react at c.&nbsp;250–400&nbsp;°C in presence of iron oxide in combination with molybdenum and/or vanadium to produce formaldehyde according to the [[chemical equation]]:<ref name="Ullmann">{{Ullmann|doi=10.1002/14356007.a11_619|title=Formaldehyde|year=2000|last1=Reuss|first1=Günther|last2=Disteldorf|first2=Walter|last3=Gamer|first3=Armin Otto|last4=Hilt|first4=Albrecht|isbn=3527306730}}</ref>
:2{{nbsp}}CH<sub>3</sub>OH + O<sub>2</sub> → 2{{nbsp}}CH<sub>2</sub>O + 2{{nbsp}}H<sub>2</sub>O

The silver-based catalyst usually operates at a higher temperature, about 650&nbsp;°C. Two chemical reactions on it simultaneously produce formaldehyde: that shown above and the [[dehydrogenation]] reaction:
:CH<sub>3</sub>OH → CH<sub>2</sub>O + H<sub>2</sub>

In principle, formaldehyde could be generated by oxidation of [[methane]], but this route is not industrially viable because the methanol is more easily oxidized than methane.<ref name="Ullmann"/>