298.    BOOMER, E. H., AND BROUGHTON, J. W.  Oxidation of Methane at High Pressures.  I.  Preliminary Experiments.  Canadian Jour. Research, vol. 15, B, 1937, pp. 375-382; Chem. Abs., vol. 31, 1937, p. 8502.

                  Mixtures of O₂ and CH₄ at pressures 100-180 atm. were passed at various temperatures between 300° and 350° over various catalysts with the object of discovering the optimum conditions for the production of CH₃OH.  Preliminary experiments indicated that oxide catalysts were relatively inactive.  Catalysts of the hopcalite variety promoted oxidation violently for a short time and then became inactive.  Cu and Ag catalysts were found to be the most desirable for the formation of CH₃OH.  O₂-natural gas (largely CH₄) mixture containing 7.3-7.5% O₂ were used.  A maximum production of CH₃OH was found to be a function of the rate of flow of the gas mixture.  Small amounts of HCOOH and HCHO were obtained, the former appearing as HCOOCH₃ when Ag was the catalyst.