Final answer:
Alkenes can be converted into epoxides using electrophilic reagents like peroxides or via oxidation with reagents such as potassium osmate or mCPBA, which is beneficial due to epoxides' reactivity and utility as intermediates in organic chemistry.
Step-by-step explanation:
Alkenes can be converted into epoxides upon treatment with electrophilic reagents, such as peroxides or halohydrins, in the presence of a base or by using a Mitsunobu reaction.
Epoxides can also be formed via an oxidation reaction using a reagent like potassium osmate or mCPBA (meta-chloroperoxybenzoic acid). It's important to note that the formation of epoxides is a valuable transformation in synthetic organic chemistry because of their high reactivity, which makes them suitable intermediates for further chemical modifications. For instance, the 3-membered epoxy ring can undergo ring opening under acidic or basic conditions, leading to a variety of functionalized products.