Chemical properties of Ether : Ethers are quite stable compounds. These are not easily reacted with dilute mineral acids, active metals, alkalies, oxidising agents under ordinary conditions or reducing agents.

         (1) Reaction due to alkyl group

         (i) Halogenation :

         (ii) Burning : Ethers are highly inflammable. They burn like alkanes.

         (2) Reaction due to ethernal oxygen

         (i) Peroxide formation :

           .

   (a) The boiling point of peroxide is higher than that of ether. It is absent as remains in the distillation of ether and may cause explosion. Therefore ether can never be vaporized to dryness.

         (b) Absolute ether can be prepared by distillation of ordinary ether from conc. H₂SO₄  and subsequent storing over metallic sodium.

•          Generation of peroxide can be prevented by adding small amount of Cu₂O to ether.
•         With strong oxidising agent like dichromate ethers, acid are oxidised to aldehydes.

•       The existence of peroxide can be shown by the formation of blood red colour complex in the following reaction.      

         (ii) Oxidation with K₂Cr₂O₇ / H^Å

         (a) Oxidation of ether can only be possible if any one of the alkyl groups of ether has hydrogen on a-carbon.

         (b) a-carbon having two hydrogens converts in carboxylic group and a-carbon having only one hydrogen converts into keto group.

         (iii) Salt formation : Due to lone pair of electrons on oxygen molecules. Ether acts as Lewis base and form stable oxonium salt with strong inorganic acids at low temperature.

         The oxonium salts are soluble in acid solution and ethers can be recovered from the oxonium salts by treatment with water.

•          The formation of oxonium salt is same to the formation of ammonium salts from ammonia and acids.
•          Ether is removed from alkyl halides by shaking with conc.H₂SO₄.
•          Ethers may be categorized from alkanes with the help of this reaction.

         (3) Reaction involving cleavage of carbon-oxygen bond

         (i) Hydrolysis

         (a) With dil. H₂SO₄  : 

         (b) With conc.H₂SO₄ :

         (ii) Zeisel method : 

•           The silver iodide thus form can be estimated and detected. This is the basis of Zeisel process for the estimation and detection of alkoxy group in a compound.

         (4) Ring substitution in aromatic ethers : Alkoxy group is ortho and para directing and it directs the incoming groups to ortho and para position. It turns on the aromatic ring leads to electrophilic substitution reaction.

III, IV and V indicates high electron density at ortho and para position.

         (i) Halogenation : Phenyl alkyl ethers undergo usual halogenation in benzene ring.

         For example, Bromination of anisole gives ortho and para bromo derivative even in the absence of iron (III) bromide catalyst.

         Para isomer is obtained in 90% yield.

         (ii) Friedel craft reaction

          (iii) Nitration

•  Ethers are relatively less reactive than phenol towards electrophilic substitution reaction.

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