Epoxidation of soybean oil by the methyltrioxorhenium‐CH2Cl2/H2O2 catalytic biphasic system

We studied the methyltrioxorhenium (MTO)‐CH2Cl2/H2O2 biphasic system for epoxidizing soybean oil. The reactions were optimized (reactant ratio, time, and temperature), which resulted in a better performance (higher conversion and selectivity) than those described in the literature. Total doublebond conversion and 95% selectivity were obtained in 2 h at room temperature. Furthermore, it was possible to reach desired epoxidation degrees by changing the oxidant and MTO amounts. The rhenium‐epoxidized soybean oil remained stable in the absence of stabilizers for up to 30 d when stored at mild conditions.