Chemical Properties
Ethylene oxide readily reacts with various compounds, breaking a C–O bond and opening the cycle. Its typical reactions are with nucleophiles which proceed via the SN2 mechanism both in acidic (weak nucleophiles: water, alcohols) and alkaline media (strong nucleophiles: OH–, RO–, NH3, RNH2, RR'NH, etc.). The general reaction scheme is
and more specific reactions are described below.
Read more about this topic: Ethylene Oxide
Famous quotes containing the words chemical and/or properties:
“Ants are so much like human beings as to be an embarrassment. They farm fungi, raise aphids as livestock, launch armies into war, use chemical sprays to alarm and confuse enemies, capture slaves, engage in child labor, exchange information ceaselessly. They do everything but watch television.”
—Lewis Thomas (b. 1913)
“The reason why men enter into society, is the preservation of their property; and the end why they choose and authorize a legislative, is, that there may be laws made, and rules set, as guards and fences to the properties of all the members of the society: to limit the power, and moderate the dominion, of every part and member of the society.”
—John Locke (1632–1704)