340 CONSIDERATION OF CARBON COMPOUNDS. 



CH 3 .C 2 H 5 = q 3 5 o C 3 H 7 .C 5 H n .O - 



Methyl-ethyl ether. Propyl-amyl ether. 



In diatomic or triatomic alcohols, or in dibasic or tribasic acids, 

 containing more than one atom of hydrogen derived from hydroxyl 

 or carboxyl, these hydrogen atoms may be replaced by various other 

 univalent, bivalent, or trivalent residues. This fact shows that the 

 number of ethers or compound ethers which are capable of being 

 formed is very large. 



Formation of ethers. Ethers may be formed by the action of 

 the chloride or iodide of a hydrocarbon residue upon an alcohol, in 

 which the hydroxyl hydrogen has been replaced by a metal. For 

 instance : 



Sodium ethylate. Ethyl iodide. Ethyl ether. Sodium iodide. 



o + CH S I : O + NaL 



Sodium Methyl Ethyl-methyl Sodium 



ethylate. iodide. ether. iodide. 



Ethers are also formed by the action of sulphuric acid upon alco- 

 hols ; the sulphuric acid removing water in this case, thus : 



2(C 2 H 5 OH) : 



Ethyl alcohol. Ethyl ether. Water. 



Compound ethers are formed by the combination of acids with 

 alcohols and elimination of water. (Presence of sulphuric acids 

 facilitates this action. 



+ H 2 o. 



Ethyl alcohol. Acetic acid. Ethyl acetate. Water. 



They are also formed by the action of hydrocarbon chlorides (or 

 iodides) on salts. For instance : 



C 5 H U C1 + H O = . 5 + KC1 



Amyl Potassium Amyl Potassium 



chloride. formate. formate. chloride. 



Occurrence in nature. Many ethers are products of vegetable 

 life and occur in some essential oils; wax contains the compound 

 ether melissyl palmitate, C 30 H 61 .C 16 H 31 O.O, and spermaceti, a solid 

 substance found in the head of the whale, is cethyl palmitate, C 16 H 33 . 

 C 16 H 31 O.O. The most important group of compound ethers are the 

 fats and fatty oils, which are distributed widely in the vegetable, but 

 even more so in the animal kingdom. 



