Epoxidation with hydrogen peroxide of unsaturated fatty acid methyl esters over Nb(V)-silica catalysts

Niobium(V)-containing silica catalysts were prepared by deposition of niobocene dichloride onto the surface of high-surface area silica supports following a dry impregnation or a liquid-phase grafting approach. These materials were used as heterogeneous catalysts for the selective epoxidation, in the presence of aqueous hydrogen peroxide, of a representative set of unsaturated fatty acid methyl esters (FAME), namely methyl oleate, methyl linoleate, and methyl ricinoleate. They all proved to be water-tolerant, recyclable, resistant to metal leaching, active and selective in the production of the related epoxidised FAME.