Re: Ethylene & ethylene oxide

["Bjorn Cedervall" <bcradsafers@hotmail.com>]

> >If you get ethylene into your body, I would expect it to oxidize to 
>ethylene oxide.

>No, ethylene oxide is a rather unstable compound, because the bonds are 
>under very high tension, so it reacts easily with many compounds.

Franz (and others interested), I have to explain this a little more: What I 
meant was that I would expect ethylene, if it got into your body, to be 
converted into ethylene oxide _by enzymatically (liver enzymes for instance) 
driven reactions_ as an intermediate step for further rapid reactions. I was 
introduced to the information about EO as an unstable molecule by 
proofreading a thesis (in 1975) on EO (and some other alkylating agents). 
That thesis was about all the adducts formed with DNA and proteins (thiol 
groups in particular). The competitive reaction of EO with water is an 
important part of the detoxification process.

Bjorn Cedervall   bcradsafers@hotmail.com

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