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387614

Sigma-Aldrich

Ethylene oxide

≥99.5%

Synonym(s):

Oxirane

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About This Item

Empirical Formula (Hill Notation):
C2H4O
CAS Number:
Molecular Weight:
44.05
Beilstein:
102378
EC Number:
MDL number:
UNSPSC Code:
12142100
PubChem Substance ID:

Quality Level

Assay

≥99.5%

refractive index

n20/D 1.3597 (lit.)

bp

10.7 °C (lit.)

mp

−111 °C (lit.)

density

0.882 g/mL at 25 °C (lit.)

functional group

ether

storage temp.

2-8°C

SMILES string

C1CO1

InChI

1S/C2H4O/c1-2-3-1/h1-2H2

InChI key

IAYPIBMASNFSPL-UHFFFAOYSA-N

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General description

Ethylene oxide is generally synthesized by chlorohydrine process and direct oxidation of ethylene with air, catalyzed by silver(Ag).

Ethylene oxide serves as a starting material to produce ethylene glycols, surfactants, emulsifiers, and polyurethane foams.

Application

Ethylene oxide can be used as a precursor to synthesize:
  • Poly(ethylene oxides) and poly(ethyleneglycol)s.
  • Ethylene carbonate via coupling reaction with CO2 catalyzed by imidazolium zinc tetrahalides.;
  • α,ω-heterodifunctionalized poly(ethylene oxide)s using organocatalyst N-heterocyclic carbenes via ring-opening polymerization.

Packaging

Supplied in a carbon steel lecture bottle with a CGA180M/CGA110F needle valve installed.

Compatible with the following:
  • Aldrich® lecture-bottle station systems
  • Aldrich® lecture-bottle gas regulators

Other Notes

Legal Information

Aldrich is a registered trademark of Sigma-Aldrich Co. LLC

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purge valve

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Signal Word

Danger

Hazard Classifications

Acute Tox. 3 Inhalation - Acute Tox. 3 Oral - Carc. 1B - Chem. Unst. Gas A - Eye Dam. 1 - Flam. Gas 1A - Muta. 1B - Press. Gas Liquefied gas - Repr. 1B - Skin Corr. 1B - STOT RE 1 - STOT SE 3

Target Organs

Central nervous system, Nervous system, Respiratory system

Storage Class Code

2A - Gases

WGK

WGK 3

Flash Point(F)

-4.0 °F - closed cup

Flash Point(C)

-20.0 °C - closed cup

Personal Protective Equipment

dust mask type N95 (US), Eyeshields, Gloves

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Multifunctional Poly (ethylene glycol)s
Obermeier B, et al.
Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English), 50(35), 7988-7997 (2011)
Surface active ethylene oxide adducts (2013)
N-heterocyclic carbene-organocatalyzed ring-opening polymerization of ethylene oxide in the presence of alcohols or trimethylsilyl nucleophiles as chain moderators for the synthesis of α, ω-heterodifunctionalized poly (ethylene oxide)s
Raynaud J, et al.
Macromolecules, 43(6), 2814-2823 (2010)
Non-fouling surfaces produced by gas phase pulsed plasma polymerization of an ultra low molecular weight ethylene oxide containing monomer
Wu YJ, et al.
Colloids and Surfaces. B, Biointerfaces, 18(3-4), 235-248 (2000)
Polymerization of ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, and other alkylene oxides: synthesis, novel polymer architectures, and bioconjugation
Herzberger, Jana and Niederer, et al.
Chemical Reviews, 116, 2170-2243 (2016)

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