🥼organic chemistry review

Sharpless epoxidation

Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025

Definition

Sharpless epoxidation is a chemical reaction that selectively transforms primary and secondary allylic alcohols into their corresponding epoxy alcohols using titanium tetraisopropoxide, tert-butyl hydroperoxide, and diethyl tartrate. It is noteworthy for its stereospecificity, predominantly producing molecules with a specific three-dimensional arrangement.