Oxiranol
Oxiranol is an organic chemical that is an alcohol derivative of oxirane. It consists of a hydroxy group as substituent on ethylene oxide. It can have two enantiomeric forms. The compound has been proposed as an intermediate in the interstellar formation of glycolaldehyde and the oxidation of acrolein in the environment.
It can be produced by reacting carbene with formic acid. To reduce the co-production of by-products, a mixture of diiodomethane and zinc can be used as a carbene source. The production of carbene with this mixture favors the production of cyclic derivatives.