Question

Define ether. What is the action of hot hydroiodic acid on isopropyl methyl ether?

Answer 1

Ether is a pleasant-smelling colourless volatile liquid that is highly flammable.

Action of hot hydroiodic acid on isopropyl methyl ether will produce isopropyl alcohol and methyl iodide as products. Here iodide ion prefers to attack methyl carbon center than isopropyl carbon center. It follows $S_{N}2$ mechanism and hence prefers less sterically crowded carbon centre. That's why we get methyl iodide instead of isopropyl iodide