Williamson Ether Synthesis- Preparation of Methyl p-ethylphenyl ether Lab Report

Williamson Ether Synthesis- Preparation of Methyl p-ethylphenyl ether - Lab Report Example At the end of the experiment, methyl p-ethyl phenyl ether was produced and quantitatively identified as the desired product. In conclusion, it was ascertained that all the procedures and reaction conditions employed throughput the reaction were instrumental in influencing the quality and quantity of the resultant ether. Technically, Williamson Synthesis process is one of the effective methods used in the synthesis of ethers. Unlike other ether-synthesis processes, Williamson Synthesis is particularly suited for production of ethers with both symmetrical and unsymmetrical molecular structures (Mayo et al, 322). In chemistry, ethers are important compounds applied in a variety of ways including but not limited to dissolution of organic compounds, and formation of organic linkages. This experiment involves a practical examination of ether synthesis. Williamson ether synthesis is the most widely and simplest method in ether synthesis. Despite its simplicity and wide applicability, this method fails to yield desirable products whenever a parent alcohol is treated with a secondary or tertiary halide. Technically, the limited applicability of Williamson ether synthesis is attributed to the method’s mechanism, which is a typical SN2 reaction. This experiment is an explicit demonstration of SN2 reaction mechanism, especially those requiring phase-transfer catalysts. Use of phase-transfer catalysis is meant to increase favorability of SN2 reaction over E2 elimination, which is a characteristic problem whenever secondary and tertiary alkyl halides are used in ether production (Mayo et al, 322). In this experiment, the desired product is methyl p-ethyl phenyl ether. In the experiment, the reagents were ethyl phenol as a parent alcohol, and methyl iodide as the primary halide. Despite being a primary halide, a phase-transfer catalyst was instrumental in increasing the yield of the desired ether. Chemical