PROCESS FOR THE PREPARATION AND ISOLATION OF N-ALKYL OXIRANES

1. Process for the preparation and isolation of alkyloxiranes by reacting alkenes with percarboxylic acids, the reaction mixture, if necessary following an extraction with water, being subsequently separated into its components by distillation, characterized in that an alkene of the formula CH3 (CH2 )n CH = CH2 wherein n represents an integer from 4 to 17, is reacted with a solution of a percarboxylic acid, containing 3 or 4 C atoms, in an organic solvent at a temperature of 40 to 90 degrees C and with a molar ratio of alkene to percarboxylic acid of 0.9 : 1 to 5 : 1, the percarboxylic acid solution containing less than 5% by weight of water, less than 0.5% by weight of hydrogen peroxide and less than 50 ppm of mineral acid.