Oxidation of olefins

Claim 1

A CATALYTIC PROCESS FOR MAKING OLEFIN OXIDE BY THE OXIDATION OF AN OLEFIN WHICH COMPRISES PASSING A GASEOUS FIRST SILVER CATALYST AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT REACTION MIXTURE CONTAINING OXYGEN AND THE OLEFIN OVER A 220 TO ABOUT 350* C. AND A CONTACT TIME IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 1 TO 6 SECONDS TO GICA A CONVERSION IN THE LOWER PART OF THE RANGE OF ABOUT 23 TO ABOUT 85%, REMOVING OLEFIN OXIDE FROM THE RESULTING MIXTURE, PURGNG A PORTION OF THE REMAINING GASEOUS MIXTURE, PURGING A PORTION MAINING PORTION OVER SAID CATALYST, AND PASSING THE PURGED GASEOUS MIXTURE OVER A SECOND SILVER CATALYST AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 220 TO ABOUT 350* C. AND A CONTACT TIME IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 1 TO 6 SECONDS TO GIVE A CONVERSION IN THE UPPER PART OF THE RANGE OF ABOUT 23 TO ABOUT 85%, SAID CONVERSION BEING THE RATION OF THE OLEFIN REACTED RELATICE TO THE OLEFIN FED, THE YIELD OF OLEFIN OXIDE FORMED RELATIVE TO THE OLEFIN REACTED BEING HIGHER AT A RELATIVELY LOWER CONVERSION, AND RECOVERING THE RESULTING OLEFIN OXIDE.