Peroxopolyoxometalate-based room temperature ionic liquid as a self-separation catalyst for epoxidation of olefins

A new peroxopolyoxometalate-based room temperature ionic liquid (POM-RTIL) has been synthesized and used as catalyst for efficient epoxidation of various olefins. The RTIL catalyst was found to be well dissolved in the solvent (ethyl acetate) during the reaction, while it can self-separate from the reaction media at room temperature after the reaction completed, which made the recovery and reuse of the IL catalyst convenient. The POM-RTIL catalyst can be recycled for five times without significant loss of activity.