Making VPO catalysts at low Temperature Robert P. Doyle, Department of Chemistry, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244, USA The conversion of butane into maleic anhydride (MA) is one of the most complex catalytic processes utilized by the petrochemical industry. Industrial catalysts are based on vanadium-phosphorous-oxide (VPO) systems, which consist of a suitable precursor and a derived active species formed in-situ at high temperatures (~700 K). We have sought to prepare an active catalyst phase directly, at room temperature, as a discrete molecular assembly We have successfully built such a systems (see Figure 1) and studies it’s crystalline phases (figure 2) and basic catalytic activity (see NMR) Figure 1. Crystal structure of the VO(II)-PPi dimer of formula {[VO(H2O)bipy]2(μ-P2O7)3H2O. Figure 2. Experimental powder diffraction pattern [2 theta range 8-40°, CuKα] recorded at room temperature for micro- and nano-crystalline samples of {[VO(H2O)bipy]2(μ-P2O7)3H2O. (b) SEM (top) and TEM (bottom) images of micro- (1 and 3) and nano- (2 and4) crystalline samples of {[VO(H2O)bipy]2(μ-P2O7)3H2O.