Epoxidation process

Claim 1

IN THE PROCESS OF PRODUCING A COMPOUND CONTAINING AN OXIRANE LINKAGE BY EXPOXIDIZING AN UNSATURATED FATTY ACID COMPOUND OF AT LEAST 5 CARBON ATOMS AND CONTAINING AT LEAST ONE EPOXIDIZABLE UNCONJUGATED ETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED GROUP, THE STEPS WHICH COMPRISE MIXING THE UNSATURATED FATTY ACID COMPOUND WITH AN EPOXIDIZING COMPOSITION OF REACTANTS CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A COMBINATION OF (A) FROM 0.1 TO 0.5 MOLE PER MOLE OF EPOXIDIZABLE ETHYLENIC UNSATURATION OF FORMIC ACID, (B) FROM 0.1 TO 0.6 MOLE PER MOLE OF EPOXIDIZABLE ETHYLENIC UNSATURATION OF A SHORT CHAIN CARBOXYLIC ACID SELECTION FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF ACETIC ACID, PROPIONIC ACID AND GLYCOLIC ACID, (C) FROM 0 TO 1.0% BY WEIGHT OF SAID FORMIC ACID AND SAID SHORT CHAIN CARBOXYLIC ACID OF AN ACID CATALYST SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF SULFURIC ACID, ALKYLSULFONIC ACID, AND ARYLSULFONIC ACID, AND (D) FROM 0.3 TO 5.0 MOLES OF HYDROGEN PEROXIDE PER MOLE OF EPOXIDIZABLE ETHYLENIC UNSATURATION; EFFECTING AN EPOXIDATION OF SAID ETHYLENIC GROUP BY SAID EPOXIDIZING COMPOSITION; AND SEPARATING FROM THE MIXTURE AN OXIRANE LINKAGE-CONTAINING PRODUCT.