Abstract: Epoxidation of an olefin is carried out by continuously reacting the olefin with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of a water soluble epoxidation catalyst, comprising a manganese complex, in a reaction mixture comprising an aqueous liquid phase and an organic liquid phase using a loop reactor with mixing of the liquid phases, and during the reaction the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the aqueous liquid phase is maintained at less than 1.0% by weight.

Abstract: Epoxidation of an olefin is carried out by continuously reacting the olefin with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of a water soluble epoxidation catalyst, comprising a manganese complex, in a reaction mixture comprising an aqueous liquid phase and an organic liquid phase using a loop reactor with mixing of the liquid phases, and during the reaction the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the aqueous liquid phase is maintained at less than 1.0% by weight.

Abstract: The invention relates to the production of hexamethylene diamine from butadiene. The method comprises the successively performed stages of: (i) a catalytic epoxidation of butadiene to 1,2-epoxy-3-butene; (ii) a basically catalyzed addition of hydrogen cyanide to butadiene monoxide to form a reaction mixture containing 3-hydroxy-4-pentene nitrile (3HPN) and 2-hydroxymethyl-3-butene nitrile (2HMBN); (iii) an acidically catalyzed dehydration of the cyanohydrines 3HPN and 2HMBN of stage (ii) to cis/trans-pentadiene nitrile (PDN); (iv) a basically catalyzed addition of the products of stage (iii) to form cis/trans-1,4-dicyanobutene-1 and -2 (DCB); and (v) a catalytic hydrogenation of the isomeric cis/trans-1,4-dicyanobutene of stage (iv) to hexamethylene diamine.