TiO2-Photocatalyzed Epoxidation of 1-Decene by H2O2 under Visible Light

1-Decene was converted to 1,2-epoxydecane on UV-irradiated TiO2 powder using molecular oxygen as the oxygen source. Other main products were nonanal and 2-decanone. For anatase-form TiO2 powders, the reaction rate was hardly affected by addition of hydrogen peroxide to the solution. In contrast, for rutile-form TiO2 powders, the rate of epoxide generation was significantly increased by addition of hydrogen peroxide. In this case, the reaction occurred under visible light as well as UV light. The selectivity of the production of 1,2-epoxydecane was higher under visible light than under UV light. The conversion efficiency of an incident photon to 1,2-epoxydecane was about 2% when irradiated with visible light in the range 440–480 nm. UV–visible diffuse reflection spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy suggested the generation of a Ti–η2-peroxide on rutile TiO2 surface after treatment with hydrogen peroxide. The initial step of the reaction under visible light was attributed to a photochemical reaction of this peroxide with 1-decene.