A hydroperoxide charge stock (t-butyl hydroperoxide or t-amyl
hydroperoxide) is reacted with a C.sub.3 to C.sub.20 olefin charge stock
in liquid phase in a reaction zone in the presence of a catalytically
effective amount of a soluble molybdenum catalyst to form a product olefin
epoxide corresponding to the olefin charge stock and a product alcohol
corresponding to the hydroperoxide charge (t-butyl alcohol or t-amyl
alcohol), which process is improved in accordance with the present
invention by maintaining a reaction medium composed of more than 60 wt %
of polar components (hydroperoxide charge stock, product alcohol and
product epoxide) in the reaction zone by charging to the reaction zone at
least about a 30 wt % solution of the hydroperoxide charge stock in the
corresponding product alcohol and charging said olefin charge stock to
said reaction zone in an amount relative to the amount of said charged
solution of charged hydroperoxide in product alcohol sufficient to provide
a ratio of from about 0.5 to about 2 moles of charged olefin per mole of
charged hydroperoxide.
The preferred olefin charge stock is propylene and the preferred
hydroperoxide charge stock is t-butyl hydroperoxide. The corresponding
epoxide in this situation is propylene oxide and the corresponding product
alcohol is t-butyl alcohol.