Process for oxidizing organic compounds
View Patent ↗This invention is a process for oxidizing an organic compound with a hydrogen peroxide solution produced by reacting hydrogen and oxygen in the presence of an oxidation catalyst. The hydrogen peroxide is produced by reacting hydrogen and oxygen in a solvent in the presence of a H 2 O 2 -producing catalyst comprising a polymer-encapsulated combination of a noble metal and an ion-exchange resin. Polymer encapsulation of the H 2 O 2 -producing catalyst improves its productivity in making hydrogen peroxide and is expected to reduce metal loss.
1. A process which comprises:
(a) reacting hydrogen and oxygen in a solvent in the presence of a H 2 O 2 -producing catalyst comprising a polymer-encapsulated combination of a noble metal and a sulfonic acid polystyrene resin having 1 to 10 equivalents per kilogram of functional groups, to obtain a hydrogen peroxide solution; and
(b) reacting an olefin with the hydrogen peroxide solution in the presence of an oxidation catalyst to produce an epoxide.
2. The process of claim 1 wherein the noble metal is selected from the group consisting of palladium, platinum, gold, rhenium, silver, and mixtures thereof.
3. The process of claim 1 wherein the noble metal is palladium.
4. The process of claim 1 wherein the polymer is selected from the group consisting of polystyrenics, polyolefins, and mixtures thereof.
5. The process of claim 1 wherein the polymer is polystyrene.
6. The process of claim 1 wherein the H 2 O 2 -producing catalyst further comprises a component selected from the group consisting of carbon, titania, zirconia, niobia, silica, alumina, silica-alumina, titania-silica, zirconia-silica, niobia-silica, and mixtures thereof.
7. The process of claim 1 wherein step (a) is performed in the presence of a hydrogen peroxide stabilizer.
8. The process of claim 1 wherein the solvent is an oxygenated solvent.
9. The process of claim 1 wherein the solvent is selected from the group consisting of alcohols, ethers, esters, ketones, carbon dioxide, water, and mixtures thereof.
10. The process of claim 1 wherein step (b) is performed in the presence of a buffer.
11. The process of claim 1 wherein the oxidation catalyst is a titanium zeolite.
12. The process of claim 11 wherein the titanium zeolite is TS-1.
13. A process which comprises:
(a) reacting hydrogen and oxygen in a solvent in the presence of a H 2 O 2 -producing catalyst comprising a polymer-encapsulated combination of palladium and a sulfonic acid polystyrene resin, to obtain a hydrogen peroxide solution; and
(b) reacting propylene with the hydrogen peroxide solution in the presence of a titanium zeolite to produce propylene oxide.
14. The process of claim 13 wherein the titanium zeolite is TS-1.