Alkoxylation is a
chemical reaction
A chemical reaction is a process that leads to the IUPAC nomenclature for organic transformations, chemical transformation of one set of chemical substances to another. Classically, chemical reactions encompass changes that only involve the pos ...
that involves the addition of an
epoxide
In organic chemistry, an epoxide is a cyclic ether () with a three-atom ring. This ring approximates an equilateral triangle, which makes it strained, and hence highly reactive, more so than other ethers. They are produced on a large scale for ...
to another compound. The usual manifestation of this reaction is
ethoxylation
Ethoxylation is a chemical reaction in which ethylene oxide adds to a substrate. It is the most widely practiced alkoxylation, which involves the addition of epoxides to substrates.
In the usual application, alcohols and phenols are converted i ...
of
alcohol
Alcohol most commonly refers to:
* Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom
* Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks
Alcohol may also refer to:
Chemicals
* Ethanol, one of sev ...
s (ROH), in which case ethylene oxide is the alkoxylating agent:
:ROH + C
2H
4O → ROCH
2CH
2OH
Another industrially significant epoxide is
propylene oxide
Propylene oxide is an acutely toxic and carcinogenic organic compound with the molecular formula CH3CHCH2O. This colourless volatile liquid with an odour similar to ether, is produced on a large scale industrially. Its major application is its us ...
(PO, OCH
2CHCH
3). PO is mainly used for alkoxylation to produce polyether polyols. The alkoxylation process is shown in simplified form:
:ROH + n OCH
2CHCH
3 → R(OCH
2CHCH
3)
nOH
Polyols derived from PO have complex stereochemistry owing to the chirality of the propylene oxide. These polyols are used on a large scale to produce polyurethanes, by condensation with
diisocyanate
In organic chemistry, isocyanate is the functional group with the formula . Organic compounds that contain an isocyanate group are referred to as isocyanates. An organic compound with two isocyanate groups is known as a diisocyanate. Diisocyan ...
s.
[Norbert Adam et al. "Polyurethanes" in Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, 2005, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim. {{doi, 10.1002/14356007.a21_665.pub2]
References
Addition reactions