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Is "ether" the same thing as "diethyl ether"?
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Emily_6585
#1 Posted : Monday, August 09, 2021 10:03:28 PM
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I understand an ether is a functional group, but "ether" seems to be used colloquially by the classroom companion to refer to a solvent (ie. the MCAT Tip on page 167 says "If you see ether underneath a reaction arrow think Sn2 because [it's] polar aprotic".

I'm confused because I thought diethyl ether was a non-polar solvent.

Does "ether" under a reaction arrow mean "any solvent with an ether functional group" or is it a short-hand way to refer to diethyl ether (and thus I'm wrong in thinking diethyl ether is non-polar).

Thank you!
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INSTR_Katrina_128
#2 Posted : Friday, August 13, 2021 5:08:32 PM
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Hi Emily!

Great question. You're right! Ether, like alcohol, is both a functional group and a shorthand name for one of its family members. So, ether can refer to EITHER the functional group of R-O-R or the specific molecule dimethyl ether. You have to figure out based on context. Just like alcohol can refer to either the functional group -OH or the molecule ethanol.

If you see "ether" under a reaction arrow, it is likely referring to dimethyl ether as the solvent.

The R-O bond is weakly polar, and becomes LESS polar as the R-chain gets longer. Ethers are more polar than alkanes, but less polar than alcohols and ketones.

Dimethyl ether has the same "polarity" as benzene, and should be considered non-polar and aprotic.
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