Oxidation of alkenes to form epoxides
The simplest epoxide, ethylene oxide (or oxirane itself), can be produced on the tonne scale by the direct oxidation of ethene by oxygen at high temperature over a silver catalyst. These conditions are hardly suitable for general lab use, and the most commonly used epoxidizing agents are peroxy-carboxylic acids. Peroxy-acids (or peracids) have an extra […]
