What is "ammoxidation"

n. (context organic chemistry English) The reaction of ammonia and oxygen with any of several classes of organic compound

In chemistry, ammoxidation is an industrial process for the production of nitriles using ammonia and oxygen. The usual substrates are alkenes. It is sometimes called the Sohio process, acknowledging that ammoxidation was first discovered by Standard Oil of Ohio in 1957. An important application of this process is the production of acrylonitrile:

CHCH=CH + 3/2 O + NH → NCCH=CH + 3 HO

Several million tons of acrylonitrile are produced in this way annually. The solvent acetonitrile is a byproduct of this process.