A new titanium-silica catalyst for the epoxidation of alkenes

Silica gel treated with Ti(OiPr)4 is an efficient catalyst for the TBHP epoxidation of non-functionalized alkenes, dienes, and allylic alcohols. This catalyst is more efficient than those obtained from other titanium precursors; it must be activated at 140°C prior to use, it can be recovered and stored in the open air. The reactivity of different olefinic substrates is compared and is shown to be dependent on the structure, which allows the selective epoxidation of compounds containing different kinds of double bonds.This work was made possible by the generous financial support of the Comision Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnologia (project MAT93-02241, the Direccion General de Ciencia y Tecnologia (Accion Integrada Hispano- Francesa 329B) and the Europan Union (contract CHRX CT93-0276).Peer reviewe