Patent ID: 8735613

Claim:
A process for the manufacture of propylene oxide, comprising reacting propylene with an oxidant in the presence of a catalyst, in an aqueous reaction medium, comprising water with less than 10% by volume of cosolvents, wherein the catalyst comprises a water-soluble manganese complex which is a mononuclear species of the formula (I): [LMnX 3 ]Y (I) or a binuclear species of the formula (II): [LMn(μ-X) 3 MnL]Y 2 (II) wherein Mn is a manganese; L or each L independently is a polydentate ligand, each X independently is a coordinating species and each μ-X independently is a bridging coordinating species, and Y is an non-coordinating counterion, and wherein the oxidation is carried out at a pH in the range of from 1.5 to 6.0, and wherein the molar ratio of propylene to the oxidant is from 10:1 to 1:1.