![]() Vinylethers, often called enol ethers, are important intermediates in organic synthesis. Vinyl- and acetylenic ethers are far less common than alkyl or aryl ethers. Illustrative unsymmetrical ethers are anisole (methoxybenzene) and dimethoxyethane. Examples of the former are dimethyl ether, diethyl ether, dipropyl ether etc. They are far less acidic than alpha hydrogens of carbonyl groups (such as in ketones or aldehydes), however.Įthers can be symmetrical of the type ROR or unsymmetrical of the type ROR'. Oxygen is more electronegative than carbon, thus the alpha hydrogens of ethers are more acidic than those of simple hydrocarbons. In the language of valence bond theory, the hybridization at oxygen is sp 3. The bonding of oxygen in ethers, alcohols, and water is similar. The barrier to rotation about the C–O bonds is low. In dimethyl ether, the bond angle is 111° and C–O distances are 141 pm. Structure and bonding Įthers feature bent C–O–C linkages. Ethers are common in organic chemistry and even more prevalent in biochemistry, as they are common linkages in carbohydrates and lignin. A typical example of the first group is the solvent and anaesthetic diethyl ether, commonly referred to simply as "ether" ( CH 3−CH 2−O−CH 2−CH 3). Ethers can again be classified into two varieties: if the alkyl or aryl groups are the same on both sides of the oxygen atom, then it is a simple or symmetrical ether, whereas if they are different, the ethers are called mixed or unsymmetrical ethers. They have the general formula R−O−R′, where R and R′ represent the alkyl or aryl groups. In organic chemistry, ethers are a class of compounds that contain an ether group-an oxygen atom connected to two alkyl or aryl groups. R and R' represent any alkyl or aryl substituent. ![]()
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