Epoxidation of phosphinoyl alkenes with hydrogen peroxide

The epoxidation of phosphinoyl alkenes with H2O2 was significantly affected by the structure of the phosphorus compounds. While alkenylphosphonates and phosphinates having α-phenyl group reacted with H2O2/K2CO3, alkenylphosphonic, and phosphinic acids having an aliphatic group at α- or β-positions reacted with H2O2/Na2WO4/Et3N to produce high yields of the corresponding epoxides.