Chapter 18 · Organic Chemistry
18.13Ethers
7 min · two checks
Predict
What is the structural difference between an alcohol and an ether?
The idea
- Recognize an ether.
- Contrast its hydrogen bonding with an alcohol’s.
Ethers contain C–O–C. They are named as alkoxy groups or by the two alkyl names plus “ether”: diethyl ether, the historical anesthetic, is often just called ether. Because there is no O–H, ethers do not hydrogen-bond with themselves the way alcohols do, so they boil lower than the isomeric alcohol. They can accept hydrogen bonds from water, so small ethers are somewhat soluble.
Ethers are relatively unreactive, which makes them useful solvents. The hazard is practical rather than a wild reaction: many ethers are very flammable, and old samples can form explosive peroxides in air. A first course mostly needs you to spot the group and not call it an alcohol.
Keep these
- Ether: C–O–C, no hydrogen on the oxygen.
- Lower boiling point than the isomeric alcohol.
- Good solvents, often highly flammable.