1
$\begingroup$

My textbook gives the formation of diethyl ether from dehydration of ethyl alcohol:

$\ce{\underset{\text{ethyl alcohol}}{2C2H5-OH} ->[\text{conc.} H2SO4][413~K] \underset{\text{diethyl ether}}{C2H5-O-C2H5} + H2O}$

In the reaction where it is said that concentrated $\ce{H2SO4}$ at temperature $413~\mathrm K$ is used as a catalyst, will the primary alcohol not dehydrate to form alkene?

Concentrated sulfuric acid is a strong dehydrating agent, and is used as $95~\%$ concentrated when dehydrating primary alcohol. So will the alcohol dehydrate or will the diethyl ether be formed?

|improve this question
$\endgroup$
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ When forming an alkene this way you have a carbocation intermediate. This isn't very stable on a terminal carbon, so that pathway is not very favorable. $\endgroup$ – airhuff Jan 16 '17 at 9:11
  • $\begingroup$ Still, if we push harder, it will dehydrate. $\endgroup$ – Ivan Neretin Jan 16 '17 at 10:19
  • $\begingroup$ Indeed, $413~\mathrm K$ ($140~^\circ \mathrm C$) is used for this reaction while $453~\mathrm K$ ($180~^\circ \mathrm C$) is used for making ethene from ethanol. We might have to resort to the concept of thermodynamic and kinetic control. $\endgroup$ – DHMO Jan 16 '17 at 12:52
  • $\begingroup$ Related: chemistry.stackexchange.com/questions/41836/… $\endgroup$ – Nilay Ghosh Jan 16 '17 at 13:27

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.