Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
ETHERS
R-O-R
Manufacture:
2CH
3
CH
2
OH
CH
3
CH
2
O CH
2
CH
3
+
H
2
O
ethyl alcohol
ethyl ether
Reactions:
C
CH
3
O
C
3
H
7
+
I
C
H
3
I
+
H
OH
3
methyl propyl ether
methyl iodide
propanol
Epoxides (cyclic ethers):
O
catalyst
CH
2
=CH
2
+ Air
(O
)
CH
2
CH
2
2
ethylene oxide
ethylene
H
2
O
HOCH
2
CH
2
OH
ethylene glycol
, that is, an oxygen
bonded to two carbons. Ethers can be thought of as alcohols in which the
hydrogen of the alcohol group is replaced by an alkyl group. The most
common ether is ethyl ether, an extremely flammable liquid boiling just
above room temperature. It was used for many years as an anesthetic for
medical procedures because it causes unconsciousness when breathed, but
it has now been replaced by safer chemicals. The simplest ether, methyl
ether, is a gas used in certain aerosol sprays. The ether linkage in straight-
chain compounds is quite stable, but it can be chemically broken by heating
with acids such as hydrogen iodide (HI).
Epoxides are cylic ethers which are highly reactive because of the strained
bond angles of a three-membered ring. Because of the high reactivity of
epoxides, they are the starting materials for so-called epoxy resins used for
high-strength adhesives.
Ethers contain the characteristic linkage
−
C
−
O
−
C
−
