Making Diethyl Ether From Ethanol

There are two ways to make diethyl ether ch3ch2och2ch3 from ethanol ch3ch2oh.

Making diethyl ether from ethanol. Ether is extremely flammable. The acid dissociates in the aqueous like environment producing hydronium h3o. The first and most straightforward is to mix ethanol with a strong acid typically sulfuric acid h2so4. This must only be carried out in an extremely well ventilated area.

100g of ethanol dry ethanol is best is placed in a 1 2 liter distilling flask and with good cooling 180g of. Vapor phase dehydration of ethanol over some alumina catalysts can give diethyl ether yields of up to 95. Most diethyl ether is produced as a byproduct of the vapor phase hydration of ethylene to make ethanol. This is also called ethyl ether or ether and must not be confused with petroleum ether if for example you see a formula calling for ether then it refers to diethyl ether if it does not specify petroleum ether then do not use petroleum ether.

In this video we make diethyl ether from ethanol a. At higher temperatures ethanol will dehydrate to form ethylene. The reaction to make diethyl ether is reversible so eventually an equilibrium between reactants and products is achieved. Most diethyl ether is produced as a byproduct of the vapor phase hydration of ethylene to make ethanol.

Getting a good yield of ether which in turn requires that ether is distilled out of the reaction mixture before it reverts to ethanol.