Ether

For the substance whose common name is ether, see Diethyl ether. For the digital asset, see Ethereum. For other uses, see Aether (disambiguation).

In organic chemistry, ethers are a class of compounds that contain an ether group, a single oxygen atom bonded to two separate carbon atoms, each part of an organyl group (e.g., alkyl or aryl). They have the general formula R−O−R′, where R and R′ represent the organyl groups. Ethers can again be classified into two varieties: if the organyl groups are the same on both sides of the oxygen atom, then it is a simple or symmetrical ether, whereas if they are different, the ethers are called mixed or unsymmetrical ethers.^[1] A typical example of the first group is the solvent and anaesthetic diethyl ether, commonly referred to simply as "ether" (CH₃−CH₂−O−CH₂−CH₃). Ethers are common in organic chemistry and even more prevalent in biochemistry, as they are common linkages in carbohydrates and lignin.^[2]

The general structure of an ether. R and R' represent most organyl substituents.

Ether

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