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epichlorohydrin

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EntityQ423083· pop 32· linked from 127 articles

epichlorohydrin

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Also known as 2-(chloromethyl)oxirane, 1-chloro-2,3-epoxypropane, 2-chloropropylene oxide, gamma-chloropropylene oxide, (RS)-3-Chloro-1,2-epoxypropane, Epoxychloropropane

Epichlorohydrin (abbreviated ECH) is an organochlorine compound and an epoxide. Despite its name, it is not a halohydrin. It is a colorless liquid with a pungent, garlic-like odor, moderately soluble in water, but miscible with most polar organic solvents. It is a chiral molecule generally existing as a racemic mixture of right-handed and left-handed enantiomers. Epichlorohydrin is a highly reactive electrophilic compound and is used in the production of glycerol, plastics, epoxy glues and resins, epoxy diluents and elastomers.

Chemical data

Formula
C3H5ClO
Molecular weight
92.52 g/mol
IUPAC name
2-(chloromethyl)oxirane
SMILES
C1C(O1)CCl
InChIKey
BRLQWZUYTZBJKN-UHFFFAOYSA-N
XLogP
0.5
Polar surface area
12.5 Ų
H-bond donors
0
H-bond acceptors
1
Formal charge
0

via PubChem

Research

1,904 papers

via PubMed

~4 min read

Encyclopedic overview

9 sections
Contents
  • Production
  • Glycerol routes
  • Other routes
  • Applications
  • Glycerol and epoxy resins synthesis
  • Minor and niche applications
  • Safety
  • Regulation in the United States
  • References

Epichlorohydrin (abbreviated ECH) is an organochlorine compound and an epoxide. Despite its name, it is not a halohydrin. It is a colorless liquid with a pungent, garlic-like odor, moderately soluble in water, but miscible with most polar organic solvents. It is a chiral molecule generally existing as a racemic mixture of right-handed and left-handed enantiomers. Epichlorohydrin is a highly reactive electrophilic compound and is used in the production of glycerol, plastics, epoxy glues and resins, epoxy diluents and elastomers.

==Production== Epichlorohydrin is traditionally manufactured from allyl chloride in two steps, beginning with the addition of hypochlorous acid, which affords a mixture of two isomeric alcohols: class=skin-invert-image|320px

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “epichlorohydrin” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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