Abstract: A catalyst for gas phase oxidations comprises an inert support and a catalytically active material which comprises vanadium oxide and titanium dioxide and has been applied thereto. The titanium dioxide has a content of sulfur compounds, calculated as S, of less than 1000 ppm and a content of calcium compounds, calculated as Ca, of less than 150 ppm. The catalyst has a relatively high activity and/or selectivity and thus enables relatively high yields of the desired target product, for example phthalic anhydride. Also described is a process for preparing phthalic anhydride, wherein a gas stream which comprises molecular oxygen and o-xylene, naphthalene or mixtures thereof is contacted with the catalyst.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for producing a catalyst, where the catalyst comprises a catalytically active material and a carbon-comprising support, in which the carbon-comprising support is impregnated with a metal salt solution in a first step, the carbon-comprising support impregnated with the metal salt solution is subsequently heated to a temperature of at least 1500° C. in an inert atmosphere to form a metal carbide layer and the catalytically active material is finally applied to the carbon-comprising support provided with the metal carbide layer. The invention further provides a catalyst which has been produced by the process and comprises a carbon-comprising support and a catalytically active material, with the carbon-comprising support having a metal carbide layer and the catalytically active material having been applied to the carbon-comprising support provided with the metal carbide layer.