METHOD OF PRODUCING ETHYLENE OXIDE Russian patent published in 2010 - IPC C07D301/10 C07D303/04 C07C29/10 C07C41/03 

FIELD: chemistry.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to a method of producing ethylene oxide by bringing a mixture fed into an epoxidation reactor, which may contain ethylene, oxygen, carbon dioxide and water in a defined concentration, into contact with a highly selective epoxidation catalyst containing a promoter amount of rhenium. Contacting the mixture fed into the epoxidation reactor is done under epoxidation reaction conditions at reaction temperature below 260°C. The said mixture contains carbon dioxide in concentration less than 2 mol % of the entire mixture and concentration of water in the mixture of at most 1.5 mol % of the entire mixture. Observation of the combination of the said conditions for carrying out the epoxidation process improves operational properties of the epoxidation catalyst, for example increased stability, selectivity and activity of the catalyst.

EFFECT: invention also relates to a method of producing 1,2-ethanediol or 1,2-diol ether, which involves production of ethylene oxide using the method described above and its conversion to 1,2-ethanediol or 1,2-diol ether.

10 cl, 5 dwg, 3 ex