Question

The chemical name of CH₃OCH₃ is …?

Answer 1

Preparation of ether: There are many methods by which we can prepare ether. a very famous example to prepare ether is as follows:

Williamson synthesis reaction: In this reaction, haloalkane reacts with sodium alkoxide to form ether and sodium salt.

$$\begin{gathered} \mathrm{R}-\mathrm{X}+\mathrm{R}-\mathrm{ONa}\stackrel{\mathrm{dry}\mathrm{ether}}{\to }\mathrm{R}-\mathrm{O}-\mathrm{R}+\mathrm{NaX} \\ \mathrm{haloalkane}\mathrm{sodium}\mathrm{ether}\mathrm{sodium} \\ \mathrm{alkoxide}\mathrm{salt} \end{gathered}$$

For example,

${\mathrm{CH}}_3-\mathrm{Cl}\left(\mathrm{aq}\right)+{\mathrm{CH}}_3\mathrm{ONa}\left(\mathrm{aq}\right)\stackrel{\mathrm{dry}\mathrm{ether}}{\to }{\mathrm{CH}}_3-\mathrm{O}-{\mathrm{CH}}_3\left(\mathrm{aq}\right)+\mathrm{NaCl}\left(\mathrm{aq}\right)$

Uses of Dimethyl ether:

It is a colourless volatile poisonous liquid compound used as a solvent, fuel, aerosol, propellant, and refrigerant. Dimethyl ether (DME) is a synthetically produced alternative to diesel for use in specially designed compression ignition diesel engines.

• It is the first member of the ether series.
• It is used extensively in the chemical industry and as an aerosol propellant.
• Dimethyl ether is a good solvent and has the unique property of high water solubility, compared to other propellants.
• It has frequently been used with aqueous aerosols.

Hence, the chemical name of CH₃OCH₃ is dimethyl ether.