Ethers, Epoxides And Sulfides Flashcards
Describe ethers
Have functional groups R—O—R’
They may be symmetrical or asymmetrical
What is the hybridization of the oxygen atoms in ethers?
Sp3
Describe the structure and angle of ethers
Ethers have a bent structure like water and C—O—C bond angle is about 110 degrees
Describe the polarity of ethers
Ethers contain a highly polar C—O despite not having the hydroxyl group of alcohols
Why are ethers useful as a solvent?
An ether e.g. tetrahydrofuran(THS) provides a strongly polar solvent without the reactivity of a hydroxyl group
Describe the bonding in pure ethers
Pure ether cannot engage in hydrogen bonding as they lack OH groups but they have large dipole moments which have little affect on boiling point
How can ethers engage in hydrogen bonding?
Can engage in hydrogen bonding with other compounds with O-H or N-H groups
Describe all of the reasons ethers are solvents in general
- They dissolve in a wide range of polar and no polar substances
- They easily evaporate from their reaction products because of their low boiling point
Why are no polar substances tend to more soluble in ethers than alcohols?
Because ethers have no hydrogen bonding network to be broken up by the no polar solute
Compare the solubility of polar substances in ether and alcohol and the reason for this
Polar substances are nearly soluble in ether as they are in alcohols
Due to ethers having a large dipole moments as well as the ability to serve as hydrogen bond receptors
The non bonding pairs effectively ________ cations
Solvate
Why are small anions not as soluble in ethers even nearly as much as they are in alcohols?
Ethers are not hydrogen-bond donors so do not solvate small anions well like alcohols
How do cations solvate in ethers?
Cations is strongly solvate strongly in ethers due to being solvated by the ethers lone pair of electrons
Evaluate how soluble are ions are in ethers
Ions are moderately soluble in ethers as cations are strongly soluble but anions do not solvate well
For what reagents can alcohols not be used to solvate?
Alcohols cannot be used as solvents for reagents that are more strongly basic than the alkoxide ion
Why can alcohols not be used as solvents for reagents that are more basic than the alkoxide ion?
This is because the hydroxyl group quickly protonates the base, destroying the basic reagent
What ethers are commonly used for solvents for organic reactions?
THF, Dioxane and DME
Why can ethers be used as solvents for very strong polar bases?
Ethers are nonhydroxylic and are normally unreactive towards strong bases like Grignard reagents that require polar solvents
What are Criwn Ether complexes?
These are cyclic polyethers that specifically solvate metal cations by complexing the metal in the center of the ring
Different crown ethers solvate different cations depending on…
Depending on the relative sizes of the crown ether, the cation and the number of bijding sites of the cation
Complication by crown ethers often allow polar inorganic salts to…
Dissolve in no polar organic solvents
Generally cyclic ethers behave like ______ ______. This is because…
Cyclic ethers
The chemistry of the ether functional group is the same whether it is an open chain or a ring
Cyclic ethers are examples of….
Heterocyclic compounds containing a ring, in which a ring atom is not carbon
What are epoxies?
Epoxides are 3 membered ring ethers, they make up one of the cyclic ethers that behave differently than open chain ethers
Compare the reactivity of epoxides with ethers and give a reason
Epoxides are more reactive than ethers due to the strain of having a 3 membered ring
How are epoxides named?
Formed by adding oxide to the name of the equivalent alkene.
E.g. 2 carbon epoxides ring- ethylene oxide
What peroxy acid is commonly used to synthesize ethers?
Meta-chloroperoxybenzoic acid(MCPBA)
Explain the synthesis of epoxides
An alkene is reacted with peroxy acid to form an epoxides and a carboxylic acid. (An oxygen is donated from a peroxyacid to an alkene)
This reaction is done in the presence of an aprotic acid
Why is an aprotic acid used in the synthesis of epoxides?
An aprotic acid is used to prevent the opening the epoxides
State 2 ways epoxides can be converted to alcohols
- Reaction of epoxides with LiAlH4 and H2O to form the alcohol
- Reaction if epoxides with Grignard and organolithium reagents
Explain the reaction of epoxides with Grignard and orhanilithium reactions
Grignard and organolithium reagents attack epoxides to give ring-opened alcohols after protonation
Attack occurs on less substituted carbon of the ring
Explain the reaction of epoxides with lithium aluminum hydride and water
Epoxides are reduced to alcohols when treated with lithium aluminum hydride
The hydride is transferred to the less substituted cargo