CHAPTER IV 

 DERIVATIVES OF ALCOHOLS AND ACIDS 



ETHERS 



Ethyl Ether. — One derivative of alcohol should be briefly 

 mentioned, as it is such an important compound though not 

 related to agriculture. This is ordinary ether or ethyl ether. It 

 is one of the two most common anaesthetics, chloroform having 

 already been mentioned as the other. 



When alcohol is treated with sulphuric acid in a particular 

 way, ether is obtained by the loss of one molecule of water from 

 two molecules of the alcohol, and its constitution has been 

 proven to bear the relation to alcohol that sodium oxide does 

 to sodium hydroxide. 



2 Na- OH ^ NaaO + H2O 



Sodium hydroxide Sodiiim 



oxide 



2 C2H5 - OH -> (C2H5)20 + H2O 



Alcohol Ether 



(ethyl hydroxide) (ethyl oxide) 



Ether is a very volatile, limpid, clear liquid with suffocating 

 odor. It boils at 34.6° C, is very inflammable, and mixtures of 

 air and ether vapor are explosive. It is lighter than water 

 and does not mix with it. It is a good solvent of fats, oils, 

 waxes, resins, chlorophyll and many other plant constituents. 

 It has been shown to possess certain stimulating effects upon 

 the germination of seeds and the growth of plants. 



Ether is typical of a whole group of compounds known as 

 ethers, all of which have the constitution of oxides of hydro- 

 carbon radicals with the general formula R2O, in which the two 

 radicals may be alike or different. None of the other ethers 

 needs further mention. 



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