Uses of ethers-Introduction, Uses of ether, Advantages and disadvantages, Practice problems, FAQs.

In childhood, everyone must have taken an injection at some point or the other. Everyone is afraid of getting injections, you all also must be afraid of this. Even young people also shout when they are injected.

Have you ever noticed that while applying or ejecting injection in our body, nurses use to rub cotton-containing liquid which gives a cool sensation? Don’t you ask about this? What is that liquid which gives a sensation effect while applying on it? 

You will be surprised to know that liquid that nurses use on our skin before giving an injection is known as ether. The cold sensation provides relief to the patient while injecting the injection. Ethers have been widely employed in numerous disciplines for the treatment of various diseases since the beginning of medicine. Let us read some of the important uses of ether in chemistry in everyday life.

Table of content:

• What is Ether?
• Uses of ether.
• Advantages and disadvantages of ether
• Practice problems
• Frequently asked questions-FAQs

What is Ether?

Ether is a category of a chemical compound in which two alkyl or aryl groups are linked by an oxygen atom. R-O-R , 'R-O-R' or R-O-R' is their typical formula, with R and R' representing two alkyl groups or, in rare cases, aryl groups. The -H of alcohol is replaced by any R or R' group.

Ethers are classified into two groups based on the sort of alkyl or aryl groups they contain:

• Symmetrical Ethers are those that have the same alkyl or aryl groups bonded to the oxygen atom. A few examples are Dimethyl ether (CH₃-O-CH₃), diisopropyl ether (CH₃)₂CH-O-CH((CH₃)₂ 
• Asymmetrical Ethers - Ethers with various alkyl or aryl groups linked to the oxygen atom. Ethyl methyl ether (CH₃-O-CH₂CH₃) is an example of such asymmetrical ethers.
   

1. Uses of ether:

• Uses of ethers in health care industries: Ethers have a wide range of applications, including medical, laboratory purposes, perfume, flavouring agents, and so on. Let's take a closer look at a few of their uses.

• Diethyl ether, for example, is employed as a powerful anaesthetic, and its effects are aided by analgesic medications and muscular relaxation. They are commonly used in surgeries as anaesthesia. Because ethers are volatile liquids, they release vapours that patients inhale or are given extravenously. 
• Ethers were used to cure scurvy and pulmonary inflammation, among other ailments. Ethers were utilised as antiseptics in the past. Ether was utilised to sanitise patients' wounds and spare them from dangerous illnesses during World War II. They are still used as antiseptics ether.
  
  
   

• The use of ethers along the medical lines also propagates to the field sanitization. Smaller doses of ether act quickly and are far safer than other classes of chemicals because they have no adverse effects.
  
  
   

• Ethyl ethers, such as diethyl ethers, are utilised as recreational drugs because of their intoxicating and anaesthetic effects. This means they cause drug addicts to go asleep and have the desired effects, and they can be used in recreational activities because they are safe when taken at therapeutic levels.
• Spirit of Ether is a painkiller made from a mixture of one part diethyl ether and three parts alcohol (ethanol).
• Drugs containing ethers can be used to treat stomach-related discomfort and overall stomach distress pain. There are ether-based medicines that can be used to treat headaches and general anxiety. The ether-based medicines can also be used to treat the pains associated with spasms.
• They're also utilised in supplements and syrups to supply the smell and essence of diverse flavours.
   

2. Uses of ether as solvent:

• Ethers have low reactivity. As a result, they're frequently utilised as solvents for oil, fats, resins, wax, and other similar substances.
•  Ethers are good solvents for a wide range of organic compounds because of their propensity to form hydrogen bonds and combine with the weak London forces of the alkyl groups bound to the oxygen. 
• As an aprotic solvent, diethyl ether is extensively employed in laboratories. It's generally employed in Grignard's processes as a solvent.

• Tetrahydrofuran (THF) has a cyclic structure. In organic compounds, ether is often utilised as a solvent. They have a low boiling point, which makes them more suitable as a solvent since they can be easily removed from a product by evaporation following a chemical reaction.
  
  
  
   

• Dimethyl ether (DME) is a water-miscible solvent that is utilised as a solvent in lithium batteries.
• 1,4-Dioxane is a cyclic ether that is water-soluble and is commonly used as a solvent in laboratories for chemical synthesis.

3. Ether Uses as a Perfuming and Flavoring Agent:

• Because of their olfactory and sensorial qualities, ethers are frequently employed in the perfumery and scent business.
  
  
   

•  Fruit-based meals and beverages, sweets, fruit jams, yoghurts, ice cream, chewing gum, and some pharmaceutical treatments all contain them.
  
  
   

• Some of the novel ether compounds, such as diethyl ether, are particularly useful in the creation of perfumes or fragrant items, such as soaps, detergents, and everyday home materials like essential oils, medicines, and so on.

• Some ethers are also used to give salty scents, notably meat-like aromas, to food such as soups and broths, seasonings, snacks, sauces, or ready-to-eat non-veg meals to impart the traditional meaty flavour.

• Ether's Role in Paints:

• In the dye and paint industries, ethers are used.
• Cellulose Ethers are polymers that are widely employed as thickening agents in the paint industry today. Because cellulose ethers are biodegradable, they are utilised in adhesives, ceramics, food, and the pharmaceutical industry to colour food and pharmaceuticals.
• Because spray paints do not dry in mid-air, glycol ether is employed as a solvent. They offer cars smooth and faultless paint due to their slow drying nature.

Advantages and disadvantages of the use of ether:

Practice Problems:

Q1. ____________ is being used for alternative fuels for diesel engines.

a. Dimethyl propane
b. Cyclooctene
c. Dimethyl ether
d. Diethyl ether

Answer: C
Because dimethyl ethers are renewable, they are now being employed as an alternative fuel for diesel engines.

Q2._________ is the complex compound of ether.

a. THF
b. Methoxy benzene
c. Crown ether
d. DME (Dimethyl ether)

Answer: C
Crown ethers are cyclic chemical compounds made composed of a cyclic complex arrangement of ether groups. Crown Ethers can be used in a variety of ways. Crown ethers are excellent for dissolving ionic compounds like potassium permanganate in organic solvents like isopropanol because they include cavities of various sizes, allowing certain cations to be bound and solvated with high selectivity.

Q3. In spray paints, __________is employed as a solvent.

a. THF
b. ethyl ether
c. glycol ether
d. dimethyl ether

Answer: C
Because spray paints do not dry in mid-air, glycol ether is employed as a solvent. They offer cars smooth and faultless paint due to their slow drying nature.

Q4.___________ is used as thickness agent in paint industry.

a. THF
b. ethyl ether
c. glycol ether
d. Cellulose ethers

Answer: D
Cellulose Ethers are polymers that are widely employed as thickening agents in the paint industry today. Because cellulose ethers are biodegradable, they are utilised in adhesives, ceramics, food, and the pharmaceutical industry to colour food and pharmaceuticals.

Frequently asked questions- FAQ

Q1. Is Ether still in use nowadays?
Answer: Because of its deadly side effects, the use of Ether as an anaesthetic was outlawed as medicine progressed. Due to their inexpensive cost, they are being used in some laboratory activities as well as in medical applications in some nations.

Q2. What role does ether play in the industry?
Answer: In the paint and pharmaceutical sectors, ethers are utilised as colours and flavouring agents. Many foods and pharmaceuticals, including fruit-based foods and beverages, sweets, fruit jams, yoghurts, ice cream, chewing gum, and pharmaceutical preparations, include them.

Q3. What is the chemical process for making ethers?
Answer: The Williamson Ether Synthesis Reaction is the most common way to make ethers. An SN2 reaction occurs when a metal alkoxide displaces a halide ion from an alkyl halide. The alkoxide ion is formed when an alcohol reacts with sodium hydride, a strong basic.

Q4. During surgery, how quickly do ether work?
Answer: Before surgery, patients are given anaesthesia ether, which takes about 20 minutes to bring them asleep. In some medical professions, it is still utilised.

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