How do epoxides react?

1 Answer
Jul 19, 2017

Well, an epoxide ring reacts in the same way as do aldehydes......

Explanation:

...as do aldehydes. And in fact, the ipso carbons are in precisely the same oxidation state #stackrel(+I)C# in ethylene oxide as in an aldehyde, #RC(=O)H#.

And these react with nucleophilic reagents such as Grignards, to give a ring opening reaction, in which the carbon chain is extended by two carbons.....

studyblue.com

And at the end of the ring-opening reaction we still have an alcoholic function, that we can substitute or eliminate.

The strain imposed by the three-membered ring makes epoxides fairly reactive. They can also be ring-opened by electrophilic reagents.