Ultrasonic wave aided selective epoxidation of mixed styrene and α-pinene with air over nanosized Co3O4

Catalytic selective epoxidation of mixed biolefins with air over nanosized Co3O4 catalyst under mild ultrasonic conditions has been first reported. When the styrene/α-pinene molar ratio was 1:5, the highest conversions were, respectively, reached 81.8 mol% for styrene and 76.1 mol% for α-pinene, with the epoxidation selectivity of 84.1% (styrene oxide) and 94.6% (α-pinene oxide), notably higher than those of the conventional reactions under magnetic stirring. An intermolecular electron-transfer phenomenon between conjugated styrene and electron-rich α-pinene was revealed by UV–vis spectra, which was considerably important for the enhancement of reactivities of both olefinic molecules observed experimentally.