Method for producing epoxy compound and catalyst composition for epoxidation reaction

A method for producing an epoxy compound, the method comprising:

• reacting hydrogen peroxide with a compound having a carbon-carbon double bond in the presence of
• at least one compound selected from the group consisting of a tungsten compound and a molybdenum compound;
• and
• an onium salt having 20 or more carbon atoms and containing one or more substituents convertible to an active hydrogen-containing functional group or a salt thereof,
• wherein said one or more sub substituents contained in the onium salt is an alkoxycarbonyl group or an acyloxy group.

A method for producing an epoxy compound, the method comprising:

• reacting hydrogen peroxide with a compound having a carbon-carbon double bond in the presence of
• at least one compound selected from the group consisting of a tungsten compound and a molybdenum compound;
• and
• an onium salt having 20 or more carbon atoms and containing one or more substituents convertible to an active hydrogen-containing functional group or a salt thereof,
• wherein said onium salt is a compound represented by any one of formulae (1) to (3):
• wherein each of any one or more of R1 to R4, any one or more of R5 to R10 and any one or more of R11 to R15 independently represents —Y—CO—O—Z or —Y—O—CO—Z,
• Y represents a direct bond or a divalent aliphatic hydrocarbon group having a carbon number of 1 to 25, in which a part of carbon atoms is optionally substituted with a heteroatom and which optionally has a substituent, and Z represents a monovalent aliphatic hydrocarbon group having a carbon number of 1 to 25, in which a part of carbon atoms is optionally substituted with a heteroatom, or a monovalent aromatic hydrocarbon group having a carbon number of 4 to 25, which optionally has a substituent,
• each of R1 to R5, R11 and R13, when these are not —Y—CO—O—Z or —Y—O—CO—Z, independently represents an alkyl group having a carbon number of 1 to 25, in which a part of carbon atoms is optionally substituted with a heteroatom and which optionally has a substituent, or a benzyl group,
• each of R6 to R10, R12,R14 and R15, when these are not —Y—CO—O—Z or —Y—O—CO—Z, independently represents a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a cyano group, a nitro group, an alkyl group having a carbon number of 1 to 25, in which a part of carbon atoms is optionally substituted with a heteroatom and which optionally has a substituent, a phenyl group, a phenoxy group, a benzyl group, an N-alkylcarbamoyl group or an N-alkylsulfamoyl group,
• R1 to R15 optionally combine in the same compound to form a ring,
• provided that the total number of carbon atoms contained in R1 to R4 is 20 or more, the total number of carbon atoms contained in R5 to R10 is 15 or more, and the total number of carbon atoms contained in R11 to R15 is 17 or more,
• and
• X− represents a monovalent anion.