Abstract: The invention provides a process for epoxidation of an alkene by reaction with a peracid, characterized by supplying an aqueous phase comprising sulphuric acid, hydrogen peroxide and water and an organic phase comprising acetic acid or propionic acid in a chlorinated hydrocarbon solvent to a liquid-liquid extraction device in such manner that these two phases pass in countercurrent through the extraction device; withdrawing from such extraction device an organic solution of peracid and carboxylic acid in the chlorinated hydrocarbon; passing said organic solution and the alkene cocurrently to a reactor; withdrawing from the reactor a product mixture and effecting fractional distillation thereof; withdrawing from such fractional distillation a product phase comprising the oxirane and a recycle phase comprising carboxylic acid in the chlorinated hydrocarbon, and passing such recycle phase from the distillation to the extraction device to form the organic phase therein.

Abstract: A method of preparing an o-phenyl phenol from a cyclohexanone which comprises the steps of forming an o-cyclohexenyl cyclohexanone from the cyclohexanone by condensing the cyclo-hexanone in the presence of an inherently sulphur-free condensation catalyst, and then dehydrogenating the resulting o-cyclohexenyl cyclohexanone by contacting the o-cyclohexenyl cyclohexanone with a dehydrogenation catalyst in the presence of sufficient sulphur in the form of elemental sulphur or an organo-sulphur compound to improve the selectivity of the dehydrogenation catalyst with respect to the formation of o-phenyl phenol.