PROCESS OF PREPARING AN OLEFIN OXIDE FROM OLEFIN AND ORGANIC HYDROPEROXIDE

摘要

A process of preparing an olefin oxide, preferably propylene oxide, and an alcohol, such as alpha-ethylphenyl alcohol, the process involving contacting an olefin, such as propylene, and an organic hydroperoxide, such as ethylbenzene hydroperoxide, in the presence of an epoxidation catalyst, preferably, a homogeneous molybdenum catalyst, in a single reactor system or in a multi-reactor system containing a plurality of sequentially interconnected reactors. Each reactor in the single or multi-reactor system is preferably divided into a plurality of reaction zones designed to facilitate plug flow behavior. The olefin is fed to a first reaction zone in the single reactor system or to a first reactor in the multi-reactor system. The organic hydroperoxide feed is split into a plurality of split organic hydroperoxide feedstreams, and the split feedstreams are distributed throughout the reaction zones, or the reactors, or both.