Here's a better direct epoxidation of propylene.

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 01:00:00 -0400

Oxidizing propylene directly to propylene oxide (PO) continues to be a goal of industrial research laboratories. Unlike ethylene oxide, which is commercially manufactured by the reaction of ethylene with oxygen over a supported silver catalyst, direct propylene oxidation to PO is much more challenging because the allylic hydrogen atoms in propylene can oxidize to give CO₂. Consequently, propylene is catalytically epoxidized to PO by treating it with peroxides such as ethylbenzene hydroperoxide, t-BuOOH, or H₂O₂. Read more...

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Here's a better direct epoxidation of propylene.