Chang-tsing yang

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR EPOXIDIZING A MEMBER OF THE GROUP CONSISTING OF MONO- AND DI-OLEFINIC POLYCYCLIC HYDROCARBONS AND CHLORO-HYDROCARBONS HAVING FUSED RINGS OF 5 TO 6 CARBON ATOMS BY REACTING A TWO PHASE MIXTURE COMPRISING AN AQUEOUS PHASE CONTAINING A LOWER FATTY PERACID OF 1 TO 4 CARBON ATOMS AND A SEPARATE PHASE CONTAINING SAID OLEFINIC COMPOUND, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES CARRYING OUT SAID REACTION IN A PLURALITY OF REACTION STAGES, INTIMATELY DISPERSING THE FEED OF SAID OLEFINIC POLYCYCLIC COMPOUND IN A FIRST REACTION STAGE WITH AN AQUEOUS PHASE CONTAINING SAID PERACID FROM A LATER REACTION STAGE OF THE SERIES TO EFFECT PARTIAL EPOXIDATION OF SAID OLEFINIC POLYCYCLIC COMPOUND, SEPARATING THE PHASES OF THE REACTION MIXTURE, FURTHER REACTING THE OLEFINIC COMPOUND-CONTAINING PHASE WITH AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF SAID FATTY PERACID IN A LATER REACTION STAGE IN WHICH INCOMPLETE CONVERSION OF SAID PERACID IS EFFECTED, SEPARATING THE PHASES OF THE RESULTING REACTED MIXTURE, FEEDING THUS SEPARATED AQUEOUS FATTY PERACID-CONTAINING PHASE TO SAID FIRST REACTION STAGE AND RECOVERING EPOXIDATION PRODUCT FROM THE LAST OF THE REACTION STAGES.