Rapid gas-liquid reaction in flow. Continuous synthesis and production of cyclohexene oxide

The enhanced reaction rate in the epoxidation of cyclohexene with air as an oxidant was discovered without any added catalyst utilizing a continuous flow reactor constructed with readily available stainless steel parts and devices. This continuous-flow process demonstrates a significant improvement in reaction time for highly selective epoxide production over the batch process due to the efficient mass transfer between the liquid phase and air. The flow process discovered was operated continuously with good opera-tional stability, evaluated by a constant high yield of cyclohexene oxide, to obtain the desired product with high productivity.

Automated summary

This study discovered that the reaction rate of cyclohexene epoxidation can be enhanced by using air as an oxidant without the need for added catalysts. A continuous flow reactor constructed with readily available stainless steel parts and devices was utilized, demonstrating a significant improvement in reaction time and high productivity. The efficient mass transfer between the liquid phase and air was the key factor in achieving the highly selective epoxide production.