PROCESS FOR PREPARING EPOXIDATION CATALYSTS

This invention relates to a process for the preparation of a catalyst suitab le for the epoxidation of olefins having no allylic hydrogen, in I particular ethylene which process comprises depositing a promoting amount of a salt of a rare earth metal and a promoting amount of a salt of an alkaline earth metal and/or a salt of a Group VIII transition metal on a porous, refractory support, calcining the support, and thereafter depositing a catalytically effective amount of silver, a promoting amount of alkali metal, optionally a promoting amount of rhenium and optionally a promoting amount of a rhenium co-promoter selected from sulphur , molybdenum, tungsten, chromium, phosphorus, boron and mixtures thereof, on the support, and subsequently drying the support.