| Propylene Oxide |
With the chemical formula CH3CHCH2O, Propylene Oxide is an organic molecule that is acutely poisonous and carcinogenic. Industrial production of this colourless volatile liquid, which has an odour resembling ether, is widespread. Its main use is in the synthesis of polyether polyols, which are then used to make polyurethane polymers. Although it is frequently employed as a racemic combination, it is a chiral epoxide. To distinguish it from its isomer, 1,3-propylene-oxide, also known as oxetane, this substance is sometimes referred to as 1,2- oxetane.
Starting with propylene, oxetane is produced commercially. There are basically two methods used: one uses hydrochlorination and the other uses oxidation. The world's production was split roughly equally between oxidation pathways and chlorohydrin technology. The latter strategy is becoming more significant. Four hydroperoxides are used to practise the procedure: In the Halcon process, isobutane is oxygenated to produce t-butanol, which is then converted into t-butyl hydroperoxide.
The rising demand for propylene oxide from end-use industries is driving the growth of the Propylene Oxide Market in the Asia Pacific region.
This coproduct can be transformed into MTBE, an additive for gasoline, by dehydrating it to isobutene. Ethylbenzene hydroperoxide is produced when 1-phenylethanol is produced by oxygenating ethylbenzene. Dehydrating this coproduct yields styrene, a valuable monomer. Cumene (isopropylbenzene) was oxygenated to produce cumene hydroperoxide, which was then converted into cumyl alcohol. This coproduct can be converted back to cumene through dehydration and hydrogenation. Sumitomo Chemical commercialised this technique.
Alkoxylation is the process by which 60–70% of all Propylene Oxide is transformed into polyether polyols. These polyols serve as the basic ingredients for making polyurethane polymers. Through an acid or base-catalyzed process, about 20% of oxetane is hydrolyzed into propylene glycol. Polypropylene glycol, propylene glycol ethers, and propylene carbonate are other important products.
When preparing biological samples for electron microscopy, oxetane is frequently used to get rid of any leftover ethanol that was previously used to dehydrate the samples. In a typical process, the sample is first submerged for 5 minutes in an equal volume of ethanol and oxetane, followed by four 10 minute immersions in pure oxide.
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