Ether Functional Group:

(What is “R” ?)

Ether Properties

• No hydrogen bonding
• Slightly polar
• Low boiling point and therefore volatile (vapors evaporate easily)
• High volatility means ethers are very flammable

Important Ethers

• Carbohydrates (sugars and starches) have ether functional groups.

• Dimethyl ether is the chemical you’ve seen used as an 1800’s anesthetic in movies. It is not used in medicine anymore, because it’s too easy to accidentally give the patient too much and kill them, and better anesthetics are available now.

Naming Ether Molecules:

For Mr. Niemitalo’s General Chemistry class, just make sure you are able to correctly identify ether functional groups. You don’t need to name any ethers for this class.

Naming ethers is only slightly more complicated than naming acids and alcohols. You can learn how to name ethers if you take organic chemistry in college.

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