The kinetics of nonradical oxidation of styrene epoxide (SE) by oxygen in the presence of sulfuric acid as a catalyst and CuCl2 as a cocatalyst in a 90 : 10 (vol : vol) tert-butanol and chlorobenzene mixed solvent were studied. The rate expressed through reactant concentrations is given by V = k[H2SO4](1)[SE](0)[CuCl2](0), k = 8.5 X 10(8) exp(-68 kJ/mol/RT) s(-1) (333-343 K). Sulfuric acid as a catalyst for nonradical oxidation is 60 times more active than p-toluenesulfonic acid. Free-radical initiation rate constants in the SE + H2SO4 + isopropanol and SE + H2SO4 + CuCl2 styrene systems were evaluated. The systems containing sulfuric acid were found to be 20 times more effective in free radical generation as those with p-toluenesulfonic acid. The Cu2+ + Co2+ ions were observed to have a retarding effect on oxidation processes in epoxide and acid-containing systems.