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Synthesis & chemistry of epoxides

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Total cards: 22•Content version: v4•Public deck•Updated: 8/1/2026

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#1
Front (Question)

What does an Epoxide look like

Back (Answer)

type of heterocycle, which is highly strained and reactive

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#2
Front (Question)

Strained rings can only be made by methods which are….

Back (Answer)

fully irreversible (otherwise the molecule can come back to linear)

#3
Front (Question)

How can you make an expoxide through sₙ¹ reaction

Back (Answer)

• React an alcohol with a good LG with a base to deprotonate • Then LP on oxygen will attack δ⁺ carbon, causing the C-Br bond to break

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#4
Front (Question)

How can you form an epoxide through the Weitz-Scheffer reaction using hydrogen perioixde as an oxidising agent (Z= carbonyl)

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Back (Answer)

• Sodium hydroxide will deprotonate the hydrogen peroxide • Hydrogen peroxide anion will attack the δ⁺ C=C, causing E- to transfer to the adjacent carbon and C=O to break • LP comes back down off oxgen, E- from adjacent C=C attack the other oxygen, causing the O-O bond to break

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#5
Front (Question)

What is the driving force for this reaction to form the epoxide?

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Back (Answer)

Because there is a negative charge in the intermediate, so there is a strong driving force to form a neutral species (hence why OH is a leaving group which is very usual)

#6
Front (Question)

The same Weitz-scheffer reaction can be done instead with NaOCl How does the reaction occur?

Back (Answer)

• ClO- anion attack the δ⁺ C=C, which causes electron density to move onto the adjacent carbon, causing the C=O bond to break • E- comes back down from the oxygen reforming the C=O, and electron density on the adjacent carbon, attacks the other oxygen • Causing the O-Cl bond to break

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#7
Front (Question)

In the Weitz-Scheffer reaction, both the HOO- and the ClO- are…

Back (Answer)

Nucleophilic oxidants Hence will attack the electron deficient alkene (Electron-neutral or -rich alkenes are unreactive)

#8
Front (Question)

What is a way to make epoxides with electron rich alkenes?

Back (Answer)

Through using electrophilic oxidants (e.g. peracids like mCPBA)

#9
Front (Question)

How do you make an epoxide from an electron rich alkene and a peracid

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Back (Answer)

• E- from the C=C bond attack the OH of the mCPBA • This causes the O-O bond to break and C=O bond to form • Causes the other C=O to break, and E- attack terminal H on mCPBA, breaking the O-H • The LP on of the oxygen attacks the other end of the C=C • (the reaction is concerted = bond breaking and forming shown in the transition state all occur at once)

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#10
Front (Question)

What is important spectrospecific implication of Alkene + peracid synthesis of Epoxides?

Back (Answer)

The alkene geometry is retained in the product Hence if we have an E-double bond, we will form a trans-epoxide

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#11
Front (Question)

What type of strain do epoxides have?

Back (Answer)

Baeyer & Pitzer strain

#12
Front (Question)

What is the C-O bonds like in epoxides?

Back (Answer)

• C-O bonds are weak due to their high p-orbitals character • C-O bonds are polarised due to electronegativity differences

#13
Front (Question)

If you react a epoxides with NaN₃, what do you form

Back (Answer)

ortho hydroxyl azide

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#14
Front (Question)

If you react an epoxide with NH₃, what do you form?

Back (Answer)

ortho hydroxyl amide

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#15
Front (Question)

If you react an epoxide with HBr, what do you form?

Back (Answer)

Ortho hydroxyl bromide

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#16
Front (Question)

If you react an epoxide with Ph₂CuLi, what do you form

Back (Answer)

Ortho hydroxy phenyl

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#17
Front (Question)

If you react an epoxide with PhSH and NaOH, what do you form?

Back (Answer)

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#18
Front (Question)

If you react an epoxide with NaOMe/MeOH OR MeOH/H₂SO₄

Back (Answer)

ortho hydroxy methoxide

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#19
Front (Question)

What is the mechanism for breaking epoxides under basic conditions?

Back (Answer)

• sₙ² mechanism • Proceeds via attack at the least hindered site • Generally requires a relativel reactive nucleophile • Work up with an acid to form a hydroxyl group

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#20
Front (Question)

What is the mechanism for breaking epoxides under acidic conditions?

Back (Answer)

• sₙ² mechanism with sₙ¹-like character • Proceeds via attack at the site better able to support developing +ve charge • Doesn’t require a reactive nucleophile • Note = sterochemistry is maintained

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#21
Front (Question)

The regioselectivity may be controlled by a choice of acidic or basic condition? Explain this in terms of added a methoxy group to an epoxide?

Back (Answer)

• Using either basic or acidic condition can affect with the OMe group is added

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#22
Front (Question)

Epoxide opening follows an sₙ²-type mechanism and is therefore accompanied by …….. of sterochemistry at the reacting centre

Back (Answer)

Inversion

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