Naphthalene is a hydrocarbon produced by the distillation of coal tar and is an aromatic white crystalline substance. Naphthalene is the most abundant component in coal tar. It is used as an insect repellant and insect fumigant. The compound is used in the manufacture of celluloid, dyes, hydrogenated naphthalenes, oil fumes, smokeless powders and synthetic resins.
Oxirane is a three-membered ring compound consisting of one oxygen atom and two carbon atoms. Oxirane is present in natural products such as cryptocin, which has anticancer properties, and azidomycin, trienone, and epoxidomycin, which have shown activity against drug-resistant leukemias and AIDS-related lymphomas. Other oxirane containing bioactive molecules have anti-inflammatory, immunosuppressive, and antitumor activities. Oxiranes are a strained ring susceptible to various nucleophilic, ring-opening or rearrangement reactions, so they are considered to be one of the most important intermediates in organic synthesis.