Method of epoxidation of unsaturated

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR EPOXIDIZING WATER-INSOLUBLE ESTERS OF OLEFINICALLY UNSATURATED HIGHER FATTY ACIDS BY THE IN SITU TECHNIQUE WHICH COMPRISES REACTING BY MIXING TOGETHER, AT A TEMPERATURE FROM ABOUT 10*C. TO ABOUT 100*C., SAID ESTER AND AN AQUEOUS MIXTURE CONTAINING (A) HYDROGEN PEROXIDE INTRODUCED THEREINTO AS AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION, (B) AT LEAST ONE MEMBER OF THE CLASS CONSISTING OF ACETIC ACID AND ACETIC ANHYDRIDE, AND (C) PHOSPHORIC ACID, SAID HYDROGEN PEROXIDE BEING PRESENT IN SAID AQUEOUS MIXTURE IN AN AMOUNT EQUAL TO AT LEAST ONE MOLE OF HYDROGEN PEROXIDE FOR EACH DOUBLE BOND IN EACH MOLE OF SAID ESTER, SAID MEMBER OF THE CLASS BEING PRESENT IN SAID AQUEOUS MIXTURE IN AN AMOUNT EQUIVALENT TO 0.05 TO 0.7 MOLE OF ACETIC ACID FOR EACH DOUBLE BOND IN EACH MOLE OF SAID ESTER AND ALSO IN AN AMOUNT WHICH IS RELATED TO THE AMOUNT OF HYDROGEN PEROXIDE CONTAINED IN THE SOLUTION SO INTRODUCED AS WILL COME WITHIN THE AREA BOUNDED BY THE LINES DRAWN BETWEEN POINTS A, B, C, AND D OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWING, AND SAID PHOSPHORIC ACID BEING PRESENT IN SAID AQUEOUS MIXTURE IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO BRING THE PH THEREOF WITHIN THE RANGE OF +1.0 TO -1.0.