A process is disclosed for the epoxidation of an olefin with hydrogen and
oxygen in the presence of an oxidation catalyst comprising a transition
metal zeolite and a polymer-encapsulated noble metal catalyst. The noble
metal catalyst comprises a noble metal and an ion-exchange resin. The
process using the polymer-encapsulated noble metal catalyst gives higher
epoxide productivity than a process that uses a noble metal catalyst
which is not encapsulated by a polymer.