Part 1. Mechanisms. Consider the following reactions. y CH3CH₂OH H₂SO4 OCH₂CH3 OH Redraw the starting materials below and provide a reasonable mechanism for the product formed. Be sure to use curved arrows to show the pushing of electrons and show all intermediates.
Reactions of Ethers
Ethers (R-O-R’) are compounds formed by replacing hydrogen atoms of an alcohol (R-OH compound) or a phenol (C6H5OH) by an aryl/ acyl group (functional group after removing single hydrogen from an aromatic ring). In this section, reaction, preparation and behavior of ethers are discussed in the context of organic chemistry.
Epoxides
Epoxides are a special class of cyclic ethers which are an important functional group in organic chemistry and generate reactive centers due to their unusual high reactivity. Due to their high reactivity, epoxides are considered to be toxic and mutagenic.
Williamson Ether Synthesis
An organic reaction in which an organohalide and a deprotonated alcohol forms ether is known as Williamson ether synthesis. Alexander Williamson developed the Williamson ether synthesis in 1850. The formation of ether in this synthesis is an SN2 reaction.
![**Part 1. Mechanisms.** Consider the following reactions.
![Structural Formulas]
The reaction shows the transformation of a cyclic ether into a diol with an ether substituent.
- **Reactant:** A five-membered cyclic compound with an oxygen atom (epoxide), featuring one bond pointing out of the plane and one into the plane.
- **Reagents:** Ethanol (\(CH_3CH_2OH\)) and sulfuric acid (\(H_2SO_4\)).
- **Product:** A five-membered ring where one substituent is an ethoxy group (\(OCH_2CH_3\)) and the other is a hydroxyl group (\(OH\)), with bonds showing specific stereochemistry.
**Instructions:**
Redraw the starting materials below and provide a reasonable mechanism for the product formed. Be sure to use curved arrows to show the pushing of electrons and show all intermediates.
This task aims to illustrate how the opening of an epoxide ring can lead to a nucleophilic substitution, resulting in the formation of a new ether and alcohol group, highlighting the importance of acid catalysis in these reactions.](/v2/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcontent.bartleby.com%2Fqna-images%2Fquestion%2Fdc7098a4-7e9d-4718-b1b7-d54351cff1ff%2F44f452f0-cf5e-4cba-ba39-9589ce4aba28%2Fq6fqm3c_processed.png&w=3840&q=75)
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