Patent ID: 7235676

Claim:
An improved catalytic process for the preparation of epoxides from alkenes, said process comprising the steps of: a. reacting, as a reaction mixture including an organic solvent, water, or a combination thereof, an alkene in a concentration range of 0.001 mol to 10 mol in the presence of a transition metal salt in a concentration range of from 0.01 mmol to 0.01 mol, in combination with an inorganic base in a concentration range of 0.0003 mol to 4.0 mol and an organic additive selected from the group consisting of urea, alkyl substituted urea, aryl substituted urea and thio-urea in a concentration range 0.02 mol to 30.0 mol, as catalysts, in a biphasic homogeneous system while continuously stirring with hydrogen peroxide as a source of oxygen over a time period of from 2 to 10 hours at a temperature ranging from −10° to 80° C. to form an epoxide and water, wherein the conversion of the alkene is >99% with at least about 95% selectivity, and b. separating the epoxide from the water by a layer separation method or by a solvent extraction method.