Detailed Product Description:

This is a special high-purity ether (diethyl ether) which is free of the

usual inhibitors and stabilizers (such as ethanol or BHT).

Diethyl ether, also known as ether and ethoxyethane, is a clear, colorless,

and highly flammable liquid with a low boiling point and a characteristic

odor.  It is the most common member of a class of chemical compounds

known generically as ethers.  It is an isomer of butanol.  It is used as a

common solvent and has been used as a general anesthetic.  Ether is

sparingly soluble in water (6.9 g/100 mL).  

Grade/Purity:

This is Reagent Grade material, anhydrous, inhibitor-free,

minimum purity of 99.9%.

Applications:

Commonly used as a solvent for alkaloids, fats, waxes and nitrocellulose.

Diethyl ether is a common solvent for the Grignard reaction, and for many

other reactions involving organometallic reagents.  It is particularly important

as a solvent in the production of cellulose plastics such as cellulose acetate. 

Diethyl ether has a high cetane number ranging from 85 to 96 and is used often

used as a starting fluid for diesel and gasoline engines because of its high volatility

and low autoignition temperature.  For the same reason it is also used as a

component of the fuel mixture for carbureted compression ignition model engines.

Background:

Ether is a class of organic compounds which contain an ether group—an

oxygen atom connected to two (substituted) alkyl or aryl groups.  A typical

example is the solvent and anesthetic diethyl ether, commonly referred to

simply as "ether" (ethoxyethane).

Ether molecules cannot form hydrogen bonds amongst each other, resulting in

a relatively low boiling point compared to that of the analogous alcohols. However,

the differences in the boiling points of the ethers and their isometric alcohols

become smaller as the carbon chains become longer, as the hydrophobic nature of

the carbon chain becomes more predominant over the presence of hydrogen bonding.

Ethers are slightly polar, more polar than alkenes but not as polar as alcohols, esters

or amides of comparable structure.  However, the presence of two lone pairs of

electrons on the oxygen atoms makes hydrogen bonding with water molecules

possible, causing the solubility of alcohols (for instance, butan-1-ol) and ethers

(ethoxyethane) to be quite dissimilar.

Cyclic ethers such as tetrahydrofuran and 1,4-dioxane are totally miscible in water

because of the more exposed oxygen atom for hydrogen bonding as compared to

aliphatic ethers.

Ethers can act as Lewis bases.  For instance, diethyl ether forms a complex with boron

compounds, such as boron trifluoride diethyl etherate.  Ethers also coordinate to

magnesium in Grignard reagents.

In the IUPAC nomenclature system, ethers are named using the general formula

"alkoxyalkane", for example CH3-CH2-O-CH3 is methoxyethane.  If the ether is

part of a more complex molecule, it is described as an alkoxy substituent, so -OCH3

would be considered a "methoxy-" group.  The simpler alkyl radical is written in front,

so CH3-O-CH2CH3 would be given as methoxy(CH3O)ethane(CH2CH3). 

Historically ether was also called sweet oil of vitriol.

Precautions:

Highly flammable liquid and vapors.  Depressant for central nervous system.

Ethers in general are of very low chemical reactivity but in the right conditions

are prone to unstable peroxide formations. 

Diethyl ether is prone to peroxide formation, and can form explosive diethyl

ether peroxide.  Ether peroxides are higher boiling and are contact explosives

when dry.

Diethyl ether is typically supplied with trace amounts of the antioxidant BHT

(2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol), which reduces the formation of peroxides.

Storage over NaOH precipitates the intermediate ether hydroperoxides.  Water

and peroxides can be removed by either distillation from sodium and benzophenone,

or by passing through a column of activated alumina.

Ether is an extremely flammable material. Open flames and even electrically heated

devices should be avoided when using ether since it is easily ignited by a flame or

spark.  The autoignition temperature of ether is only 170°C (338°F), so it can be

ignited by a hot surface without a flame or spark.  A common practice in chemical

labs is to use steam (thus limiting the temperature to 100°C (212°F) when ether must

be heated or distilled.

Click here to download MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet)

Packaging:

Comes packed in 500ml amber glass bottle.  Also available in 250ml size.