Ca TWA <0.1ppm (0.18mg/m3) C 5ppm (9mg/m3) [10-min/day][4]
IDLH (Immediate danger)
Ca [800ppm][4]
Safety data sheet (SDS)
ICSC 0155
Related compounds
Related heterocycles
Aziridine, Thiirane, Borirane
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Infobox references
Chemical compound
Ethylene oxide is an organic compound with the formula C2H4O. It is a cyclic ether and the simplest epoxide: a three-membered ring consisting of one oxygen atom and two carbon atoms. Ethylene oxide is a colorless and flammable gas with a faintly sweet odor. Because it is a strained ring, ethylene oxide easily participates in a number of addition reactions that result in ring-opening. Ethylene oxide is isomeric with acetaldehyde and with vinyl alcohol. Ethylene oxide is industrially produced by oxidation of ethylene in the presence of a silver catalyst.
The reactivity that is responsible for many of ethylene oxide's hazards also makes it useful. Although too dangerous for direct household use and generally unfamiliar to consumers, ethylene oxide is used for making many consumer products as well as non-consumer chemicals and intermediates. These products include detergents, thickeners, solvents, plastics, and various organic chemicals such as ethylene glycol, ethanolamines, simple and complex glycols, polyglycol ethers, and other compounds. Although it is a vital raw material with diverse applications, including the manufacture of products like polysorbate 20 and polyethylene glycol (PEG) that are often more effective and less toxic than alternative materials, ethylene oxide itself is a very hazardous substance. At room temperature it is a very flammable, carcinogenic, mutagenic, irritating, and anaesthetic gas.[10]
Ethylene oxide is a surface disinfectant that is widely used in hospitals and the medical equipment industry to replace steam in the sterilization of heat-sensitive tools and equipment, such as disposable plastic syringes.[11] It is so flammable and extremely explosive that it is used as a main component of thermobaric weapons;[12][13] therefore, it is commonly handled and shipped as a refrigerated liquid to control its hazardous nature.[10][14]
^International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (2014). Nomenclature of Organic Chemistry: IUPAC Recommendations and Preferred Names 2013. The Royal Society of Chemistry. p. 714. doi:10.1039/9781849733069. ISBN 978-0-85404-182-4.
^ abcdeHaynes, p. 3.430
^Ethylene oxide, odor
^ abcdNIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards. "#0275". National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
^Haynes, p. 3.576
^ abcHaynes, p. 15.20
^ abcdHaynes, p. 5.22
^"Ethylene oxide 387614". Sigma-Aldrich. Archived from the original on 5 December 2020. Retrieved 1 September 2020. Alt URL
^"Ethylene oxide". Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health Concentrations (IDLH). National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
^ abRebsdat, Siegfried and Mayer, Dieter (2005) "Ethylene Oxide" in Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Wiley-VCH, Weinheim. doi:10.1002/14356007.a10_117.
^McKetta, John J.; Cunningham, William A. (1984). Encyclopedia of Chemical Processing and Design. Vol. 20. CRC Press. p. 309. ISBN 0-8247-2470-4.
^Cite error: The named reference e1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference e2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Ethylene Oxide Sterilization: Are ETO Treated Spices Safe?, SuperFoodly, 10 April 2017
Ethyleneoxide is an organic compound with the formula C2H4O. It is a cyclic ether and the simplest epoxide: a three-membered ring consisting of one oxygen...
glycol is produced from ethylene (ethene), via the intermediate ethyleneoxide. Ethyleneoxide reacts with water to produce ethylene glycol according to the...
approximately 90% of ethylene is used to produce ethyleneoxide, ethylene dichloride, ethylbenzene and polyethylene. Most of the reactions with ethylene are electrophilic...
interaction of ethyleneoxide with water, ethylene glycol, or ethylene glycol oligomers. The reaction is catalyzed by acidic or basic catalysts. Ethylene glycol...
Murai Y (February 1993). "Polyneuropathy due to ethyleneoxide, propylene oxide, and butylene oxide". Environmental Research. 60 (2): 242–247. doi:10...
to as oxides. Thus, the epoxide of ethylene (C2H4) is ethyleneoxide (C2H4O). Many compounds have trivial names; for instance, ethyleneoxide is called...
used to produce ethylene glycol from ethylene. This process comprises two steps, the controlled oxidation of ethylene to ethyleneoxide, and the net hydrolysis...
produced from ethyleneoxide or propylene oxide with alcohol, which are then esterified with acetic acid. The three major products are ethylene glycol monoethyl...
via ethylene hydration (chemical reaction adding water) of ethyleneethyleneoxide – via ethyleneoxidationethylene glycol – via ethyleneoxide hydration...
Ethoxylation is a chemical reaction in which ethyleneoxide adds to a substrate. It is the most widely practiced alkoxylation, which involves the addition...
January 2020, there was a major explosion at the Chemical Industries of EthyleneOxide (IQOXE) site in Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain. Three people died, although...
3) Preparation of NGc from EthyleneOxide. 4) Preparation of NGc by method of Messing from ethylene through chlorohydrin & ethyleneoxide. 5) Preparation of NGc...
Cellosolve" (ethylene glycol monomethyl ether) in 1929. Glycol ethers are designated "E-series" for or "P-series" for those made from ethyleneoxide or propylene...
34-37 °C) it is a colorless odorless liquid. Ethylene carbonate is produced by the reaction between ethyleneoxide and carbon dioxide. The reaction is catalyzed...
Nitrous oxide (dinitrogen oxide or dinitrogen monoxide), commonly known as laughing gas, nitrous, nitro, or nos, is a chemical compound, an oxide of nitrogen...
reacting an alcohol with one or more alkylene oxides: Propylene oxide provides water insolubility, Ethyleneoxide provides water solubility. PAGs offer properties...
prepared by oxidation of alkenes. The most important epoxide in terms of industrial scale is ethyleneoxide, which is produced by oxidation of ethylene with...
the direct oxidation of ethylene to ethyleneoxide, and transformation of ethyleneoxide to ethylene glycol in the early 1950s. Ethyleneoxide, a gas, was...
0262 u) may refer to: Acetaldehyde (ethanal) Ethenol (vinyl alcohol) Ethyleneoxide (epoxyethane, oxirane) This set index page lists chemical structure...
stearic acid (or its esters) with ethylene glycol. It can also be produced by a reaction of stearic acid with ethyleneoxide. When forced to crystalize as...
Nitric oxide (nitrogen oxide or nitrogen monoxide) is a colorless gas with the formula NO. It is one of the principal oxides of nitrogen. Nitric oxide is...
hydrolysis of ethyleneoxide. Depending on the conditions, varying amounts of DEG and related glycols are produced. The resulting product is two ethylene glycol...
Barium oxide also has use as an ethoxylation catalyst in the reaction of ethyleneoxide and alcohols, which takes place between 150 and 200 °C. It is also a...
Monoglyme is produced industrially by the reaction of dimethylether with ethyleneoxide: CH3OCH3 + CH2CH2O → CH3OCH2CH2OCH3 Together with a high-permittivity...
by the chemical industry. Ethylene is reacted with O 2 to create ethyleneoxide, which, in turn, is converted into ethylene glycol; the primary feeder...
arm. In 1995, Inspec bought BP's ethyleneoxide, and glycol, businesses for £78 million, to become Inspec EthyleneOxide Specialities. In 1998, Ratcliffe...
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