Organic Chemistry, 7th Edition

L. G. Wade, Jr.

Chapter 14
Ethers, Epoxides, and Sulfides

 2010, Prentice Hall

Ethers
• Formula is R—O—R′, where R and R′
are alkyl or aryl.
• Symmetrical or unsymmetrical

CH3 O CH3 O CH3

Chapter 14 2
Structure and Polarity

• Oxygen is sp3
hybridized.
• Bent molecular
geometry.
• C—O—C angles is
110°.
• Polar C—O bonds.
• Dipole moment of
1.3 D.
Chapter 14 3
Boiling Points
Similar to alkanes of comparable molecular weight.

Chapter 14 4
Hydrogen Bond Acceptor

• Ethers cannot hydrogen-bond with other ether

molecules.
• Molecules that cannot hydrogen-bond
intermolecularly have a lower boiling point.
• Ether molecules can hydrogen-bond with water and
alcohol molecules.
Chapter 14 5
Solvation of Ions with Ether

• An ionic substance such as lithium iodide is

moderately soluble in ethers because the small
lithium cation is strongly solvated by the ether’s lone
pairs of electrons.
• Unlike alcohols, ether cannot serve as hydrogen-
bond donors, so they do not solvate small anions
well.
Chapter 14 6
Ether Complexes
• Grignard reagents: Complexation of
an ether with a Grignard reagent
stabilizes the reagent and helps
keep it in solution.

H
_
• Electrophiles: The ethers +
O B H
nonbonding electrons stabilize the H
borane (BH3).
BH3 THF

Chapter 14 7
Crown Ether Complexes

• Crown ethers can complex metal cations inside the

ring.
• The size of the cation will determine the size of the
ring needed.
• Complexation by crown ethers often allows polar
inorganic salts to dissolve in nonpolar organic
solvents.
Chapter 14 8
Common Names of Ethers
• Name the two alkyl groups attached to
the oxygen and add the word ether.
• Name the groups in alphabetical order
• Symmetrical: Use dialkyl or just alkyl.
CH3
CH3 O C CH3
CH3CH2 O CH2CH3
CH3
diethyl ether or
t-butyl methyl ether or
ethyl ether
Chapter 14
methyl t-butyl ether 9
IUPAC Names
• The more complex alkyl group is the alkane
name. The small group (with the oxygen)
becomes an “alkoxy” group.

CH3 O CH3
CH3 O C CH3
CH3
2-methyl-2-methoxypropane Methoxycyclohexane

Chapter 14 10
Cyclic Ethers
• Heterocyclic: Oxygen is part of the ring.
O
• Epoxides (oxiranes) H2C CH2
O
• Oxetanes
• Furans O
(Oxolanes )
O

• Pyrans (Oxanes )
O O
O
•Dioxanes
O Chapter 14 11
Epoxide Nomenclature
• Name the starting alkene and add “oxide”.
H
peroxybenzoic acid
O cyclohexene oxide
H

• The oxygen can be treated as a

substituent (epoxy) on the compound.
Use numbers to specify position.
H
O 1,2-epoxycyclohexane
H
Chapter 14 12
Epoxide Nomenclature
(Continued)
• The three-membered oxirane ring is
the parent (oxygen is 1, the carbons
are 2 and 3). Substituents are named
in alphabetical order.

O
H CH3
CH3CH 2 H

trans-2-ethyl-3-methyloxirane
Chapter 14 13
IR Spectroscopy of Ethers
• IR: The C—O stretch is in the fingerprint
region around 1000–1200 cm -1.
• Many compounds have the C—O stretch.
• If the IR spectrum has the C—O stretch
but does not have a C═O or an OH
stretch, then the compound is most likely
an ether.

Chapter 14 14
MS Spectrometry of Ethers

• Main fragmentation is the α-cleavage to form

the resonance-stabilized oxonium ion.
• Either alkyl group can be cleaved this way.

Chapter 14 15
Loss of an Alkyl Group

• The C—O bond can be cleaved to produce a

carbocation.

Chapter 14 16
MS Spectra of Diethyl Ether

Chapter 14 17
NMR Spectroscopy of Ethers
• The typical chemical shift for ethers in
NMR are:
13
C—O signal between δ 65–δ90.

1
H—C—O signal between δ 3.5–δ4.

Chapter 14 18
Williamson Ether Synthesis

• This method involves an SN2 attack of the

alkoxide on an unhindered primary halide or
tosylate.

Chapter 14 19
Examples of the Williamson
Synthesis

Chapter 14 20
Phenyl Ethers
_
O H O Na+
+ NaOH + HOH

• Phenoxide ions are easily produced for

because the alcohol proton is acidic.
• Phenyl halides or tosylates cannot be used in
this synthesis method.
Chapter 14 21
Solved Problem 1
(a) Why is the following reaction a poor method for the synthesis of t-butyl propyl ether?
(b) What would be the major product from this reaction?
(c) Propose a better synthesis of t-butyl propyl ether.

Solution
(a) The desired SN2 reaction cannot occur on the tertiary alkyl halide.
(b) The alkoxide ion is a strong base as well as a nucleophile, and elimination prevails.

Chapter 14 22
Solved Problem 1 (Continued)
Solution (Continued)
(c) A better synthesis would use the less hindered alkyl group as the SN2 substrate and the alkoxide
of the more hindered alkyl group.

Chapter 14 23
Alkoxymercuration–
Demercuration Reaction

• Use mercuric acetate with an alcohol. The

alcohol will react with the intermediate
mercurinium ion by attacking the more
substituted carbon.
Chapter 14 24
Industrial Ether Synthesis
• Industrial method, not good lab synthesis.
• If temperature is too high, alkene forms.

H2SO4
CH3CH2 O H + H O CH2CH3 CH3CH2 O CH2CH3
140°C

Chapter 14 25
Cleavage of Ethers

• Ethers are unreactive, which makes

them ideal solvents for a lot of different
reactions.
• They can be cleaved by heating with
HBr and HI.
• Reactivity: HI > HBr

Chapter 14 26
Mechanism of Ether Cleavage

• The acidic conditions will protonate the oxygen.

• The halide will attack the carbon and displace the alcohol (SN2).
• The alcohol reacts with the acid to form more alkyl halide. This
last step will not occur with phenol.

Chapter 14 27
Phenyl Ether Cleavage

• Phenol cannot react further to become

halide because an SN2 reaction cannot
occur on an sp2 carbon.

O CH2CH3 OH
HBr
+ CH3CH2 Br

Chapter 14 28
Autoxidation of Ethers

• In the presence of atmospheric oxygen,

ethers slowly oxidize to hydroperoxides
and dialkyl peroxides.
• Both are highly explosive.
• Precautions:
 Do not distill to dryness.
 Store in full bottles with tight caps.

Chapter 14 29
Mechanism of Autoxidation

Chapter 14 30
Sulfides (Thioethers)

• R—S—R′, analog of ether.

• Name sulfides like ethers, replacing
“sulfide” for “ether” in common name, or
“alkylthio” for “alkoxy” in IUPAC system.

S CH3 methyl phenyl sulfide

or
methylthiobenzene

Chapter 14 31
Thiols and Thiolates

• Thiolates are easily synthesized by the

Williamson ether synthesis, using dithiolate
as the nucleophile.

Chapter 14 32
Sulfide Reactions
• Sulfides are easily oxidized to sulfoxides and
sulfones.
O O
H2O2 H2O2
CH3 S CH3 CH3 S CH3 CH3 S CH3
CH3COOH CH3COOH
O

• Sulfides react with unhindered alkyl halides

to give sulfonium salts.
_
+
CH3 S CH3 + CH3 I CH3 S CH3 I
CH3
Chapter 14 33
Sulfides as Reducing Agents

• Because sulfides are easily oxidized, they are

often used as mild reducing agents.
Chapter 14 34
Synthesis of Epoxides

• Peroxyacids are used to convert alkenes to epoxides.

Most commonly used peroxyacid is meta-
chloroperoxybenzoic acid (MCPBA).
• The reaction is carried out in an aprotic acid to
prevent the opening of the epoxide.
Chapter 14 35
Selectivity of Epoxidation

• The most electron-rich double bond reacts

faster, making selective epoxidation possible.

Chapter 14 36
Halohydrin Cyclization

• If an alkoxide and a halogen are located in

the same molecule, the alkoxide may
displace a halide ion and form a ring.
• Treatment of a halohydrin with a base leads
to an epoxide through this internal SN2 attack.
Chapter 14 37
Epoxides via Halohydrins

Chapter 14 38
Acid-Catalyzed Opening of
Epoxides

• Acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of epoxides gives

glycols with anti stereochemistry.
• Anti stereochemistry results from the back-
side attack of water on the protonated
epoxide. Chapter 14 39
Acid-Catalyzed Opening of
Epoxides in Alcohol Solution

• A molecule of alcohol acts as the nucleophile

and attacks and opens the epoxide.
• This reaction produces an alkoxy alcohol with
anti stereochemistry.
Chapter 14 40
Base-Catalyzed Opening of
Epoxides

• The hydroxide ion attacks and opens the ring.

• The diol is obtained after protonation of the
alkoxide with water.

Chapter 14 41
Ring Opening in Base

• An epoxide is higher in energy than an acyclic ether

by about 25 kcal/mol ring strain.
• Release of the ring strain makes the opening of an
epoxide thermodynamically favored.
Chapter 14 42
Regioselectivity of Epoxidation

Chapter 14 43
Solved Problem 2
Predict the major products for the reaction of 1-methyl-1,2 epoxycyclopentane with
(a) sodium ethoxide in ethanol
(b) H2SO4 in ethanol

Solution
(a) Sodium ethoxide attacks the less hindered secondary carbon to give (E)-2-ethoxy1
methylcyclopentanol.

(b) Under acidic conditions, the alcohol attacks the more electrophilic tertiary carbon atom of the
protonated epoxide. The product is (E)-2 ethoxy-2-methylcyclopentanol.

Chapter 14 44
Biosynthesis of Steroids

Chapter 14 45
Reaction of Epoxides with
Grignard and Organolithiums

• Strong bases, such as Grignards and

organolithiums, open the epoxide ring by
attacking the less hindered carbon.

Chapter 14 46