Effective Epoxidation of Fatty Acid Methyl Esters with Hydrogen Peroxide by the Catalytic System H3PW12O40/Quaternary Phosphonium Salts

Six quaternary phosphonium salts (QPSs) in combination with phosphotungstic heteropolyacid, H3PW12O40, were tested the epoxidation of rapeseed oil fatty acid methyl esters a hydrogen peroxide aqueous solution. The QPSs consisted trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium [P6], tributyl-tetradecylphosphonium [P4] or tetraoctylphosphonium [P8] cation and different anions—chloride (Cl−), bromide (Br−), tetrafluoroborate (BF4−), bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide (NTf2−), bis(2,4,4-trimethyl-pentyl)phosphinate (Phosf−). influence kind QPS temperature on epoxy number, iodine glycol content has been determined. was confirmed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) elemental analysis CHO. Two trihexyltetradecyphosphonium cation—[P6][Fosf] [P6][Cl]—were selected as most effective studied process. proposed kinetic model takes into consideration two reactions, namely, ring opening involving formation hydroxyl groups. rate constants activation energies for