Question 13 Marks
How can diethyl ether be prepared from
i. ethyl iodide
ii. ethyl alcohol?
Why is the boiling point of an ether lower than that of the isomeric alcohols.
i. ethyl iodide
ii. ethyl alcohol?
Why is the boiling point of an ether lower than that of the isomeric alcohols.
Answer
View full question & answer→i. $\underset{\text { ethanol (excess) }}{2 CH _3 CH _2 OH } \xrightarrow{ Conc . H _2 SO _4}{ }_4 CH _3 CH _2-\underset{\text { ethoxyethane }}{ O - CH _2 CH _3}+ H _2 O$
ii. $2 R^{\prime}- OH +2 Na \rightarrow 2 R ^{\prime}- O - Na a^{+}+ H _2$ Alcohol
iii. $R^{\prime}-O^{-} N a^{+}+R-X \xrightarrow{S_{N^2}} R^{\prime}-\underset{\text { Ether }}{O}-R+N a^{+} X^{-}$
Boiling points: Ethers are isomeric with monohydric alcohols but their boiling points are much lower than those of the isomeric alcohols. This is due to the reason that unlike alcohols, ethers do not form hydrogen bonds. As a result ethers do not show molecular association and hence have lower boiling point than corresponding alcohols.
ii. $2 R^{\prime}- OH +2 Na \rightarrow 2 R ^{\prime}- O - Na a^{+}+ H _2$ Alcohol
iii. $R^{\prime}-O^{-} N a^{+}+R-X \xrightarrow{S_{N^2}} R^{\prime}-\underset{\text { Ether }}{O}-R+N a^{+} X^{-}$
Boiling points: Ethers are isomeric with monohydric alcohols but their boiling points are much lower than those of the isomeric alcohols. This is due to the reason that unlike alcohols, ethers do not form hydrogen bonds. As a result ethers do not show molecular association and hence have lower boiling point than corresponding alcohols.
