Making Ethers with Alkene Reactions

Ethers can be made from alkenes by adding alcohols under acidic or organomercury conditions. The two routes shown here are acid-catalyzed addition of alcohol to an alkene and alkoxymercuration-demercuration. Both methods start with an alkene and an alcohol and end with an ether.

In acid-catalyzed...

In addition to the alcohol dehydration and the Williamson ether synthesis pathways, ethers can also be prepared from alkenes through the acid-catalyzed addition of alcohols and the alkoxymercuration–demercuration methods.

The acid-catalyzed addition of alcohols to alkenes involves treating an alkene with an excess of alcohol in the presen...