Selective epoxidation of alkenes with hydrogen peroxide over efficient and recyclable manganese oxides

A series of manganese oxides (MnO, Mn3O4, Mn2O3 and MnO2) were prepared and firstly applied as heterogeneous catalysts for the liquid phase epoxidation of alkenes with 30% H2O2 in bicarbonate solution. Under our experimental conditions, MnO exhibited superior activity for the conversion of styrene to achieve ca. 100% with 92.4% selectivity of epoxide, compared to the other three manganese oxides as well as other metal oxides. Furthermore, recycling studies showed the good recyclability of MnO as a heterogeneous catalyst, which did not lose the catalytic activity after four reuses appreciably.

Graphical abstractSimple MnO, Mn3O4, Mn2O3, and MnO2 could catalyze the epoxidation of alkenes with cheap 30% H2O2, in which MnO exhibited highly recyclable activity.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights► Simple MnOX were firstly used as catalysts for alkene epoxidation with 30% H2O2. ► MnO exhibited very high activity for the epoxidation of alkenes. ► The activity of MnO did not lose after four reuses appreciably.