Efficient epoxidation of olefins with >/=99% selectivity and use of hydrogen peroxide.
Epoxides are an important class of industrial chemicals that have been used as chemical intermediates. Catalytic epoxidation of olefins affords an interesting production technology. We found a widely usable green route to the production of epoxides: A silicotungstate compound, [gamma-SiW10O34(H2O)2]4-, is synthesized by protonation of a divacant, lacunary, Keggin-type polyoxometalate of [gamma-SiW10O36]8- and exhibits high catalytic performance for the epoxidation of various olefins, including propylene, with a hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) oxidant at 305 kelvin. The effectiveness of this catalyst is evidenced by >/=99% selectivity to epoxide, >/=99% efficiency of H2O2 utilization, high stereospecificity, and easy recovery of the catalyst from the homogeneous reaction mixture.
Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Engineering, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyoku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan.
Keigo
K
Kamata
Koji
K
Yonehara
Yasutaka
Y
Sumida
Kazuya
K
Yamaguchi
Shiro
S
Hikichi
Noritaka
N
Mizuno