Naming Ethers: Study with Video Lessons, Practice Problems & Examples

Ethers are characterized by an oxygen atom bonded to two alkyl groups, leading to a distinctive naming convention within organic chemistry. When naming ethers, the alkyl substituents attached to the oxygen are identified first, followed by the term "ether." For example, if two methyl groups are attached to the oxygen, the compound is named dimethyl ether. This systematic approach to naming ethers is essential for clear communication in the field of organic compounds, ensuring chemists understand the structure and composition of these molecules.

Rules for Naming Ethers

In this video, we're going to take a look at naming ethers. Now recall ethers possess an oxygen atom connected to two alkyl groups. Here we're going to say because of this, ethers have a unique naming system.

Here we'd say the parent name is ether, and the way we look at our naming system is that we're going to have our alkyl substituents, so substituent 1, substituent 2 as the beginning of the name, and then we're going to end it with ether. This is the unique approach we're going to take to naming all the types of ethers we're about to see.

Naming Ethers Example

Here in this example question it says name the following ether compound. In order to accomplish this we're going to utilize the following three steps.

Step one we have to identify the two alkyl groups connected to our oxygen atom. So here is our oxygen atom here and we have this alkyl group connected to it and this alkyl group connected to it here. This has 1, 2, 3, 4 carbons. So this would be a butyl group, and this is only a methyl group.

Step two name the two alkyl groups alphabetically as substituents. So here we're going to say we know we have a butyl and a methyl group connected to the oxygen. If there are identical alkyl groups, use the numerical prefix di. Here, they're not the same. So we don't have to say like dimethyl or dibutyl. So we're going to say here butyl methyl.

Step three end the name of the compound with ether and then write the name with spaces so there's a space between butyl and methyl and then the end of the name ether. So this would be butyl methyl ether.

Provide the name for the following ether.

• A. tert-butyl pentyl ether
• B. sec-butyl pentyl ether
• C. sec-butyl pentanoate
• D. pentyl sec-butyl ether

Answer: (B)

Which structure represents isobutyl propyl ether?

• A.
• B.
• C.
• D.

Answer: (C)

Here’s what students ask on this topic:

How do you name an ether?

Naming an ether involves identifying the two alkyl or aryl groups attached to the oxygen atom and then arranging them alphabetically, followed by the word "ether." Here's how you can do it:

1. Identify the Groups: Look at the structure of the ether and identify the two groups attached to the oxygen. These could be simple alkyl groups like methyl (CH₃-) or ethyl (C₂H₅-), or more complex aryl groups like phenyl (C₆H₅-).
2. Name the Groups: Name these groups as you would name any alkane, with the appropriate prefix for the number of carbons (meth- for one carbon, eth- for two carbons, prop- for three carbons, etc.), and add the suffix "-yl" to indicate that they are substituents.
3. Alphabetize: Arrange the names of these groups in alphabetical order, ignoring any prefixes like di-, tri-, or tetra- that indicate the number of identical groups.
4. Combine and Add "Ether": Combine the names of the two groups into one word and add the term "ether" at the end. For example, if you have a methyl group and an ethyl group, the name would be "ethyl methyl ether."

How do you name an ether substituent?

When naming an ether as a substituent in organic chemistry, you use the term "alkoxy" to refer to the ether group. The alkoxy group is named by taking the alkyl part of the ether (the part directly attached to the oxygen) and adding the suffix "-oxy" to it. For example, if the alkyl group is a methyl group, the alkoxy name would be "methoxy." If it's an ethyl group, it would be "ethoxy," and so on.

To name a compound with an ether substituent, you first name the main molecule it's attached to, then list the alkoxy group as a prefix in alphabetical order, followed by the main molecule's name. For instance, if a methoxy group is attached to benzene, the compound is named "methoxybenzene." It's important to also number the carbon atoms in the main chain or ring to indicate the position of the alkoxy group if there are multiple substituents or if the main molecule is not a simple benzene ring.