Direct epoxidation process using alkanoic acid modifier

摘要

The invention is a process for epoxidizing an olefin with hydrogen and oxygen in the presence of an alkanoic acid and a catalyst comprising a noble metal and a titanium zeolite, wherein the catalyst has not been reduced prior to epoxidation. This process surprisingly gives significantly improved productivity and reduced formation of unwanted propane compared to processes that do not use the alkanoic acid modifier.