Air & Water Reactions
Ethers tend to form unstable peroxides when exposed to oxygen. Ethyl, isobutyl, ethyl tert-butyl, and ethyl tert-pentyl ether are particularly hazardous in this respect. Ether peroxides can sometimes be observed as clear crystals deposited on containers or along the surface of the liquid.
Reactivity Profile
Ethers, such as 2-(2-HEXYLOXYETHOXY)ETHANOL can act as bases. They form salts with strong acids and addition complexes with Lewis acids. The complex between diethyl ether and boron trifluoride is an example. Ethers may react violently with strong oxidizing agents. In other reactions, which typically involve the breaking of the carbon-oxygen bond, ethers are relatively inert.
Fire Hazard
Special Hazards of Combustion Products: Irritating vapors and toxic gases, such as carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, may be formed when involved in fire.
Synthesis
First, diethylene glycol monohexyl ether was reacted with sodium hydroxide to make sodium alcohol, and the made sodium alcohol used tetrabutylammonium bromide as a phase transfer catalyst, and then the synthesis reaction was carried out under the action of chloromethane to produce diethylene glycol methylhexyl ether, which was operated as follows.
Add 70g of diethylene glycol monohexyl ether (C10H22O3) to a four-necked flask equipped with a thermometer, a reflux condenser, and a stirrer, then add a certain molar ratio of alkali, and add a certain proportion of the catalyst, tetrabutylammonium bromide (C16H36BrN), under stirring. Open the valves of the Y-connecting pipe and the storage tank, ventilate the chloromethane and raise the temperature to the reaction temperature to carry out the ether condensation reaction, and the reaction time was 3.5 h. During the experimental process, record the temperature and the size of the valve opening when ventilating, and at the same time record the experimental phenomena in each time period. At the end of the reaction, add 40mL of water for washing, stirring at the same time and through the external water bath to reduce the temperature, the temperature fell to room temperature, stop stirring, let stand for a while, take the upper layer of the clarified liquid with a rubber-tipped burette in a sample bottle, and then play the gas chromatography through the Shimadzu CC-14B gas chromatograph, and based on the gas chromatograms, the conversion rate of Diethylene Glycol monohexyl ether was calculated by the area-normalization method.
