| Version | Summary | Created by | Modification | Content Size | Created at | Operation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Helena Kang | -- | 179 | 2026-09-23 05:20:05 |
Conversion of a carbon–carbon double bond into a three-membered cyclic ether (an oxirane or epoxide) is epoxidation. An electrophilic oxygen atom is delivered to the alkene from a peroxy acid, a metal–oxo or metal–peroxo species, a dioxirane, or an ylide, forming two new C–O bonds in one operation. Chromium- and manganese–salen complexes promote alkene epoxidation through high-valent metal–oxo intermediates whose ligand environment controls enantioselectivity [1]. Homogeneous and heterogeneous catalytic asymmetric epoxidations generalize the same oxygen-atom transfer to a prochiral alkene under chiral catalysis [2]. Ylide-based epoxidation constructs the oxirane by addition of a sulfur or related ylide to a carbonyl, which is a complementary C–C/C–O route to the same ring rather than direct oxidation of an alkene [3]. The defining product is the epoxide; allylic oxidation, dihydroxylation, and aziridination are related atom-transfer reactions that install different three-membered rings or different oxidation patterns. Ring-opening of an already formed epoxide is a subsequent reaction, not part of the epoxidation event.