Epoxides, alcoholysis hydrolysis

As is the case with hydrolysis of epoxidised vegetable oils, by alcoholysis the hydroxyl numbers obtained are always lower than theoretically expected. The explanation is the same the intermolecular and intramolecular reactions between the formed hydroxyl groups and the unreacted epoxidic rings. These reactions conserve the number of hydroxyl groups and do not generate new hydroxyl groups. By intramolecular reactions dimers and trimers of lower hydroxyl number and higher functionality are formed. 

Nucleophilic reactions. Chiral epoxides are converted into 2,2-dimethyl-l,3-dioxolanes with inversion of configuration by reaction with acetone. An efficient procedure for imine formation from ketones and amines specifies TiCU as promoter. Hydrolysis (or alcoholysis) of RCONH2 is achieved in the presence of TiCU in acidic media. 

The so-called taffy process consists in the two-phase reaction of an alkaline solution of bisphenol A with ECH in stoichiometric excess [241]. The main reaction as described above is accompanied by side reactions, such as hydrolysis and alcoholysis of chlorine and epoxides in ECH. These reactions create molecules with functionality one or even zero, and must of course be minimized. 

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