Product Name: Ethylene Oxide

Cas: 75-21-8

Molecular Formula: C2h4o

Molecular Weight: 44.05

Einecs: 200-849-9

Overview

Ethylene Oxide, Also Known as Ethylene Oxide or Oxane, Is the Simplest Cyclic Ether. It Is a Colorless, Flammable Gas at Room Temperature and a Colorless, Easy-Flowing Liquid at Temperatures Below 10.7°c. It Has the Smell of Ether and Its Vapor Is Irritating to the Eyes and Nasal Mucosa. It Is Miscible with Water, Ethanol, Alcohol, And Ether. It Has Very Active Chemical Properties and Can React with Many Compounds to Form Explosive Mixtures with Air. The Explosion Limit Is 3%-100% (Volume). Ethylene Oxide Is a Highly Toxic Substance. The Allowable Amount in the Air Is 100 Ppm. Inhalation of Ethylene Oxide Can Cause Anesthetic Poisoning. Ethylene Oxide Is a Very Important Fine Chemical Raw Material. It Can Be Used to Derive a Variety of Fine Chemical Products Such as Ethylene Glycol, Nonionic Surfactants, Ethanolamine, And Ethylene Glycol Ethers. It Can Then Be Extended to Produce Four to Five Thousand Products Such as Synthetic Detergents, Emulsifiers, Antifreeze Agents, Plasticizers, Lubricants, Pesticides, And Fumigants. It Has a Wide Range of Applications. In the Cosmetics Industry, It Can Be Used as a Consistency Regulator for the Production of Creams, Toothpastes, And Shaving Creams. In the Pharmaceutical Industry, It Can Be Used as a Base for Ointments, Lotions and Suppositories. In the Rubber Industry, It Can Be Used as a Lubricant and Dispersant. In the Chemical Fiber Industry, It Can Be Used as a Polymerization Monomer for Dyeable Polyesters. In Military Weapons, The Main Component of the Blu-82 Giant Bomb Used by the United States During the Vietnam War Was Liquid Ethylene Oxide. The Lethality of the Blu-82 Giant Bomb Was Quite Huge, Equivalent to a Small Nuclear Explosion. It Is Widely Used in Medical Disinfection and Industrial Sterilization. It Is Often Used for Gas Fumigation Disinfection of Food, Textiles and Other Heat-Unstable Drugs and Surgical Instruments That Cannot Be Disinfected by Other Methods, Such as Leather, Cotton Products, Chemical Fiber Fabrics, Precision Instruments, Biological Products, Paper, Books, Documents, Certain Drugs, Rubber Products, Etc.

Ethylene oxide Chemical Properties

Sterilization and disinfection mechanism

Ethylene oxide is a broad-spectrum, highly effective gaseous sterilization and disinfection agent. It has strong penetration into the disinfected items and can reach deep into the items, killing a number of pathogenic microorganisms, including bacterial propagules, spores, viruses and fungi. Both gas and liquid have strong microbial killing effects, with gas having the strongest effect, so ethylene oxide gas alarms are often used.

Chemical properties

It is a colorless gas at room temperature and a colorless, free-flowing liquid at low temperatures. It has an ether odor and a pungent odor at high concentrations. It is soluble in organic solvents. It can be mixed with water in any proportion.

Uses

1. Bactericide and disinfectant; grain fumigant.

2. Ethylene oxide is an intermediate of the herbicide pretilachlor and an important chemical raw material used to manufacture ethylene glycol, ethanolamine, diethanolamine, ethylene glycol ether, and can also be used to produce non-ionic surfactants.

Production method:

There are several preparation methods.

(1) Chlorohydrin method: ethylene is used as raw material, and chloroethanol is first obtained by hypochlorination, and then cyclized with alkali. The specific process is: ethylene and chlorine are introduced into water to generate chloroethanol. The reaction is carried out in a corrosion-resistant reactor. Chlorine, water and ethylene are introduced into the reactor in parallel, and react at 20-50°C and 0.2-0.3MPa to generate 2-chloroethanol aqueous solution, the content of which is generally below 6%-7%. Then, alkali (usually lime milk) is used to react with chloroethanol for cyclization. The reaction temperature is controlled at about 100°C, and the generated ethylene oxide leaves the reaction zone as soon as possible and flows out from the condensation port at the top of the reactor. Then, the vapor and liquid are separated and the finished product is obtained by distillation. This method does not require high ethylene purity and is easy to put into production, but it consumes a large amount of chlorine and lime milk, and the equipment is severely corroded, causing environmental pollution and other problems. Its development is subject to certain restrictions. In the past, most of my country used this method to produce ethylene oxide.

(2) Oxidation method: ethylene is directly oxidized in the gas phase by a silver catalyst at 200-300°C and 1-3MPa pressure. The oxidation catalyst generally contains 10%-30% silver, and the effective co-catalyst is alkali metal and alkaline earth metal (such as iron, calcium, etc.). The commonly used carrier is α-alumina or silicon carbide. After the reaction, oxidizing gas is generated, which is absorbed by water in the absorption tower. The unreacted ethylene is recycled back to the reactor, and the absorption liquid is desorbed and distilled to obtain the product. The oxygen method is currently commonly used, usually using more than 95% oxygen as an oxidant. This method does not require a large amount of chlorine and lime milk, and there is no corrosion problem. It is low in cost and has a high product purity. It has been widely used abroad. In recent years, the newly built ethylene oxide production equipment in my country also uses the oxidation method.