The discovery and development of a continuous air oxidation of butadiene has finally made it possible to produce EpB oxirane economically. Eastman manufactures EpB oxirane and several derivatives at Texas Eastman Division, Longview, Texas. This facility, plus production sites in Tennessee, Arkansas, and Wales provide Eastman with the ability to produce a wide variety of EpB derivatives. EpB oxirane can be viewed as a multifunctional molecule with every carbon atom chemically nonequivalent. The epoxide and vinyl groups can be modified individually or simultaneously.
Simultaneous modification is possible because of conjugation of the olefin and epoxide groups.
The economical production of EpB oxirane opens up possibilities for new synthesis routes to existing products. However, perhaps the most exciting aspect of EpB chemistry is the vast potential for simple derivatization to give products never before commercially available. Three sequential isomerizations of EpB oxirane yield three useful intermediates that greatly expand the number of potential derivatives. The following pages illustrate just a few of the products that derive from EpB oxirane. Eastman research and development chemists are continually developing new EpB derivatives and welcome inquiries for new or modified products.