Mechanisms in Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Epoxidation Catalysis

The catalytic epoxidation of olefins plays an important role in the industrial production of several commodity compounds, as well as in the synthesis of many intermediates, fine chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. The scale of production ranges from millions of tons per year to a few grams per year. The diversity of catalysts is large and encompasses all the known categories of catalyst type: homogeneous, heterogeneous, and biological. This book summarizes the current status in these fields concentrating on rates, kinetics, and reaction mechanisms, but also covers broad topics including modeling, computational simulation, process concepts, spectroscopy and new catalyst development. The similarities and distinctions between the different reaction systems are compared, and the latest advances are described.

Preface.
1. Rates, Kinetics and mechanicsms of Epoxidation: Homogeneous, Heterogeneous and biological routes
(S.T. Oyama).
2. Unprecedented selectivity in the H202 epoxidation of simple alkenes imparted by soft Pt(II) Lewis acid catalysts
(G. Strukul, A. Scarso).
3. Lewis Acid Catalyzed Epoxidation of Olefins using Hydrogen Peroxide : Growing Prominence and Expanding Range
(D.H. Busch, G. Yin, H-J. Lee).
4. Activation of Hydrogen Peroxide by Polyoxometalates
(N. Mizuno, et al).
5. Oxaziridinium Salt-Mediated Catalytic Asymmetric Epoxidation
(P.C. Bulman Page, B.R. Buckley).
6. Selective aerobic radical epoxidation of &agr;-olefins catalyzed by N-hydroxyphthalimide
(C. Punta et al).
7. Investigation of the Origins of Selectivity in Ethylene Epoxidation on Promoted and Unpromoted Aq/&agr;-Al203 Catalysts: A Detailed Kinetic, Mechanistic and Adsorptive Study
(K.C. Waugh, M. Hague).
8. Computational Strategies for Identification of Bimetallic Ethylene Epoxidation Catalysts
(A.B. Mhadeshwar, M.A. Barteau).
9. Effect of Support on Ethylene Epoxidation of Ag, Au and Au-Ag Catalysts
(S. Chavadej et al).
10. Epoxidation of Propylene with Hydrogen-Ocygen Mixtures
(M. Haruta, J. Kawahara).
11. Propylene Epoxidation by 02 + H2 over Au Nanoparticles on Ti-Nanoporous Supports
(A.M. Joshi et al).
12. The Expoxidation of Propene over Gold Nanoparticle Catalysts
(T.a. Nijhuis, E. Sacaliuc, B.M. Weckhuysen).
13. Propylene Epoxidation via Shell's SMPO Process: 30 Years of Research and Operation
(J.K.F. Buijink et al).
14. Propylene Epoxidation with Ethylbenzene Hydroperoxide over Ti-Containing Catalysts Prepared by Chemical Vapor Deposition
(K-T. Li, C-C Lin, P-H. Lin).
15. Metal Species Supported on Organic Polymers as Catalysts for the Epoxidation of Alkenes
(U. Arnold).
16. Fine-Tuning and Recycling of Homogeneous Tungstate and Polytungstate Epoxidation Catalysts
(P.L. Alsters et al).
17. Reaction-Controlled Phase-Transfer Catalysts for Epoxidation of Olefins
(S. Gao, Z. Xi).
18. Bio-Inspired Iron-Catalyzed Olefin Oxidations: Epoxidation versus cis-Dihydroxylation
(P.D. Oldenburg, R. Mas-Ballesté, L. Que, Jr.).
19. Quantum Chemical Analysis of the Reaction Pathway for Styrene Epoxidation Catalyzed by Mn-Porphyrins
(M.C. Curet-Arana, R.Q. Snurr, L.J. Broadbelt).