Acetonitrile and water as solvents for the epoxidation of allylic compounds over the Ti-SBA-15 catalyst

Abstract

Research studies on the epoxidation of allyl alcohol, methallyl alcohol, crotyl alcohol and 1-butene-3-ol over the titanosilicate catalysts-Ti-SBA-15 have been conducted. The studies were carried out in an acetonitrile medium and in water. However, water was introduced only with an oxidizing agent, which was a 30 wt% aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide. When investigating the influence of chosen technological parameters, the most favorable conditions for conducting epoxidation for each of the allylic alcohols, both in the acetonitrile medium and in water, were determined. The obtained results were compared. The comparison showed that water may be a good solvent for the epoxidation of allylic alcohols. The phenomenon of epoxy ring hydration can be limited by choosing appropriate reaction conditions, when the reaction is performed only in an aqueous medium.