ethylene oxide

…oxygen, and sulfur—aziridine, oxirane (or ethylene oxide), and thiirane, respectively—and their derivatives can all be prepared by nucleophilic reactions, of the type shown. Thus, aziridine is formed by heating β-aminoethyl hydrogen sulfate with a base (in this case Y is ―OSO₃H).

The simplest epoxide, ethylene oxide (oxirane), is obtained by passing a mixture of ethylene and air (or oxygen) over a heated silver catalyst. Epoxides are useful intermediates for a number of transformations. Ethylene oxide, for example, is converted to ethylene glycol, which is used in the synthesis of…

…ylides instead give epoxides (oxiranes). This is an important reaction in organic synthesis. If sulfur ylides derived from optically active sulfonium and oxosulfonium salt precursors are used, then optically active ylides can be prepared and these can be used in asymmetric syntheses of chiral epoxides and other products. Sulfonium…

…a hydroxyl (OH) group, with ethylene oxide or propylene oxide. The most usual compounds are either alkylphenol or a long-chain alcohol having a hydroxyl group at the end of the molecule. During the condensation reaction, the ethylene oxide molecules form a chain which links to the hydroxyl group. The length…