Destroyer BIO #79: Water & Ether miscible?

[informatique]

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Are water and cyclic ethers and/or ethers miscible??

 

[iA-MD2013]

Water and ether do not mix at all. Remember extractions?

 

[klutzy1987]

water has H bonds while ether has no H-bonding. Therefore they are not miscible. Water separates from the organic ether.

 

[TexasDent]

Water and cyclic ether do mix because a cyclic ether has a strong dipole and is polar. The rule for miscibility is like dissolves like. So, polar water is miscible with polar cyclic ethers.

In organic lab we used THF (Tetrahydrofuran) which is a cyclic ether for the grignard reaction and the problem with it was that it would even absorb water vapor from the air and the R-MgBr would react with both the water and the ketone reactant.

 

[Sea of ASH]

Water and cyclic ether do mix because a cyclic ether has a strong dipole and is polar. The rule for miscibility is like dissolves like. So, polar water is miscible with polar cyclic ethers.

👍 well said, miscibility is based on polarity.

 

[informatique]

Yeah, I figured but the answer is that they are miscible. I guess there are mistakes here and there in Destroyer.

 

[TexasDent]

Yeah, I figured but the answer is that they are miscible. I guess there are mistakes here and there in Destroyer.

Yes the answer is that they are miscible. A cyclic ether is polar so it will be miscible in a polar solvent like water.

Noncyclic ethers are much less polar and will not dissolve very much if at all in a polar solvent like water.

 

[sweetpea2]

I just wanna get this straight. Noncyclic ethers whether they are polor or not will NOT dissolve in water because they dont have H-boding.

ANY CYCLIC ETHER will be miscible in water because it has an exposed Oxygen for H-bonding.

This is correct? Thanks

 

[far123]

I just wanna get this straight. Noncyclic ethers whether they are polor or not will NOT dissolve in water because they dont have H-boding.

ANY CYCLIC ETHER will be miscible in water because it has an exposed Oxygen for H-bonding.

This is correct? Thanks

yes, cyclic ethers like Tetrahydrofuran are micsible in the water. THF, is one of the most polar ethers. it has an envelope shape ,exposed Oxygen for H-bonding ,and high dipole moment .

 

[sweetpea2]

thats what i said

 

[AndyK]

What makes the oxygen more exposed in THF than the oxygen in say diethyl ether?