ALCOHOL, PHENOL & ETHER:

Nomenclature, Structure, Sources and Uses

Abegail Ann D. Ajos

Maria Katherine P. De Castro
Monique D. Laro
Catherine D. Lorono
Rozendale M. Rodas
Jemaima M. Velasco
Ritchel S. Verano
 ALCOHOL: Nomenclature
Rozendale M. Rodas

An alcohol is an organic compound with a hydroxyl (−OH) functional group attached

to the carbon atom in an alkyl group or hydrocarbon chain. Because OH is the functional
group of all alcohols, we often represent alcohols by the general formula ROH, where R is
an alkyl group. Alcohols are common in nature. This is known to be one among most of the
commonly occurring organic compounds. These are utilized in the form of sweeteners,
preparation of perfumes, and sometimes in the process of synthesizing other compounds,
wherein some others are abundantly manufactured in organic chemicals coming in various
industries.

Most people are familiar with ethyl Alcohol (ethanol), the active ingredient in alcoholic
beverages, but this compound is only one of a family of organic compounds known as
alcohols. Methanol (CH3OH) and ethanol (CH3CH2OH) are the first two members of the
homologous series of alcohols.

General Formula Functional Group Suffix

ALCOHOL R-OH -OH -ol

Names and Structures of Simple Linear Alcohols

Carbon
atoms in Name and Simple Formula Simple Structure
chain
methanol (CH3OH)
1
CH3OH
ethanol (C2H5OH)
2
CH3CH2OH
propanol (C3H7OH)
3
CH3CH2CH2OH
butanol (C4H9OH)
4
CH3CH2CH2CH2OH
pentanol (C5H11OH)
5
CH3CH2CH2CH2CH2OH
hexanol (C6H13OH)
6
CH3CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2OH
 heptanol (C7H15OH)
7
CH3CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2OH
octanol (C8H17OH)
8
CH3CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2OH
nonanol (C9H19OH)
9
CH3CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2OH
decanol (C10H21OH)

10 CH3CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2OH

Naming Alcohols

Step 1. Name the longest chain to which the hydroxyl (—OH) group is attached. The name
for this chain is obtained by dropping the final -e from the name of the hydrocarbon parent
name and adding the ending -ol.

Step 2. Number the longest chain to give the lowest possible number to the carbon bearing
the hydroxyl group.

Step 3. Locate the position of the hydroxyl group by the number of the C to which it is
attached. Locate and name any other substituents.

Step 4. The number that indicates the position of the OH group is prefixed to the name of the
parent hydrocarbon, and the -e ending of the parent alkane is replaced by the suffix -ol. (In
cyclic alcohols, the carbon atom bearing the OH group is designated C1, but the 1 is not
used in the name.) Substituents are named and numbered as in alkanes.

Step 5. Combine the name and location for other groups, the hydroxyl group location, and
the longest chain into the final name. If more than one OH group appears in the same
molecule (polyhydroxy alcohols), suffixes such as -diol and -triol are used. In these cases,
the -e ending of the parent alkane is retained.

Number Prefix 5 Penta- 10 Deca-

1 Mono- 6 Hexa- 11 Undeca-

2 Di- 7 Hepta- 12 Dodeca-

3 Tri- 8 Octa-

4 Tetra- 9 Nona-
EXAMPLE 1: 6,8-dimethyl-3-decanol

Ten carbon atoms in the LCC makes the compound a derivative of decane, and the OH
on the third carbon atom makes it a 3-decanol.

The carbon atoms are numbered from the end closest to the OH group. That fixes the
two methyl (CH3) groups at the sixth and eighth positions. The name is 6,8-dimethyl-3-
decanol (not 3,5-dimethyl-8-decanol).

EXAMPLE 2: 1,5-pentanediol

HOCH2CH2CH2CH2CH2OH
Five carbon atoms in the LCC make the compound a derivative of pentane. Two OH
groups on the first and fifth carbon atoms make the compound a diol and give the name
1,5-pentanediol.

EXAMPLE 3: 2-pentanol

The carbon chain contains five carbon atoms. If the hydroxyl group was not present, we
would have named this molecule pentane. To address the fact that the hydroxyl group
is present, we change the ending of the name to -ol. In this case, since the –OH is
attached to carbon 2 in the chain, we would name this molecule 2-pentanol.
EXAMPLE 4: 2-methyl-2-pentanol

EXAMPLE 5: 2-hexanol

The ending -ol indicates an alcohol (the OH functional group), and the hex- stem tells us
that there are six carbon atoms in the LCC.

We start by drawing a chain of six carbon atoms:

–C–C–C–C–C–C–
The 2 indicates that the OH group is attached to the second carbon atom.

Finally, we add enough hydrogen atoms to give each carbon atom four bonds.

EXAMPLE 6: 3-methyl-2-pentanol

The ending -ol indicates an OH functional group, and the pent- stem tells us that there
are five carbon atoms in the LCC. We start by drawing a chain of five carbon atoms:

–C–C–C–C–C–
The numbers indicate that there is a methyl (CH3) group on the third carbon atom and
an OH group on the second carbon atom.
OTHER EXAMPLES:

REFERENCES:

https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Organic_Chemistry/Organic_Chemistry_(Libr
eTexts)/17%3A_Alcohols_and_Phenols/17.01%3A_Naming_Alcohols_and_Phenols
https://guides.hostos.cuny.edu/che120/chapter2
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/chem1114langaracollege/chapter/20-2-alcohols-and-
ethers/
https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_the-basics-of-general-organic-and-biological-
chemistry/s17-02-alcohols-nomenclature-and-clas.html
https://www.britannica.com/science/alcohol/Structure-and-classification-of-alcohols
https://www.ivyroses.com/Chemistry/Organic/Naming-Alcohols.php
 ALCOHOL: Structure
Maria Katherine P. De Castro

Chemical Structure of Alcohol

Alcohol structure is mainly attributed to the presence of the

hydroxyl group. In alcohols, the carbon atom of the main chain is
bonded to the oxygen atom of the hydroxyl group by a sigma (σ)
bond. This sigma bond is formed due to the overlap of an sp3
hybridized orbital of carbon with an sp3 hybridized orbital of
oxygen. Due to the repulsion between the unshared electron pairs
of oxygen, the bond angle of C-O-H bonds in alcohols is slightly less
than the tetrahedral angle (109°-28′).

The chemical composition of ethanol can be represented either as a 1) molecular

formula or as a 2) structural formula. The molecular formula of ethanol is C2H6O,
indicating that ethanol contains two carbons and an oxygen. However, the structural
formula of ethanol, C2H5OH, provides a little more detail, and indicates that there is an
hydroxyl group (-OH) at the end of the 2-carbon chain (Figure 1.1). The -OH group is
characteristic of all alcohols.

Figure 1.1 Two common ways to represent the structure of ethanol are shown. On the
left is the atomic stick representation of the structural formula and on the right is the
ball and stick model.

Classification of Alcohols

Some of the properties of alcohols depend on the number of carbon atoms attached to
the specific carbon atom that is attached to the OH group. Alcohols can be grouped into
three classes on this basis.

A primary (1°) alcohol is one in which the carbon atom (in red) with
the OH group is attached to one other carbon atom (in blue). Its
general formula is RCH2OH.

Primary alcohols are those alcohols where the carbon atom of the hydroxyl group (OH)
is attached to only one single alkyl group. Some examples of these primary alcohols
include Methanol (propanol), ethanol, etc. The complexity of this alkyl chain is unrelated
to the classification of any alcohol considered as primary. The existence of only one
linkage among –OH group and an alkyl group and the thing that qualifies any alcohol as
a primary.

A secondary (2°) alcohol is one in which the carbon atom (in

red) with the OH group is attached to two other carbon atoms
(in blue). Its general formula is R2CHOH.

Secondary alcohols are those where the carbon atom of the hydroxyl group is attached
to two alkyl groups on either side. The two alkyl groups present may be either
structurally identical or even different. Some examples of secondary alcohols are given
below.

A tertiary (3°) alcohol is one in which the carbon atom (in red) with
the OH group is attached to three other carbon atoms (in blue). Its
general formula is R3COH.

Tertiary alcohols are those which feature a hydroxyl group attached to the carbon atom
which is connected to 3- alkyl groups. The physical properties of these alcohols mainly
depend on their structure. The presence of this -OH group allows the alcohols in the
formation of hydrogen bonds with their neighbouring atoms. The bonds formed are
weak, and this bond makes the boiling points of alcohols higher than its alkanes.
Examples of tertiary alcohols include-
 "Classification and Nomenclature of Some Alcohols" names and classifies some of the
simpler alcohols. Some of the common names reflect a compound’s classification as
secondary (sec-) or tertiary (tert-). These designations are not used in the IUPAC
nomenclature system for alcohols.

Classification and Nomenclature of Some Alcohols

Condensed Structural Formula Class of Common Name IUPAC Name

Alcohol
CH3OH — methyl alcohol methanol
CH3CH2OH primary ethyl alcohol ethanol
CH3CH2CH2OH primary propyl alcohol 1-propanol
(CH3)2CHOH secondary isopropyl 2-propanol
alcohol
CH3CH2CH2CH2OH primary butyl alcohol 1-butanol
CH3CH2CHOHCH3 secondary sec-butyl 2-butanol
alcohol
(CH3)2(CH3)2CHCH2OH primary isobutyl alcohol 2-methyl-1-propanol
(CH3)3COH tertiary tert-butyl 2-methyl-2-propanol
alcohol
secondary cyclohexyl cyclohexanol
alcoho

REFERENCES:
https://byjus.com/chemistry/alcohol-structure-hydroxyl-group/

https://byjus.com/chemistry/types-of-alcohols/
https://guides.hostos.cuny.edu/che120/chapter2

https://sites.duke.edu/apep/module-1-gender-matters/content/content-what-is-alcohol/
 ALCOHOL: Uses & Sources
Jemaima M. Velasco

What Is an Alcohol?
In chemistry, an alcohol is a type of organic compound that carries at least
one hydroxyl (−OH) functional group bound to a saturated carbon atom. The
term alcohol originally referred to the primary alcohol ethanol (ethyl alcohol), which
is used as a drug and is the main alcohol present in alcoholic drinks. An important class
of alcohols, of which methanol and ethanol are the simplest examples, includes all
compounds which conform to the general formula CnH2n+1OH. Simple monoalcohols that
are the subject of this article include primary (RCH 2OH), secondary (R2CHOH) and
tertiary (R3COH) alcohols.
According to Infinity Learn, An alcohol is a molecule that contains a hydroxyl
group (-OH). The simplest alcohol is ethanol, which is the alcohol found in beer, wine,
and liquor. Other types of alcohols include propanol, butanol, and pentanol.
Alcohols are polar molecules, meaning that they have a positive and a negative
end. The positive end of an alcohol is called the carbonyl group, and the negative end is
the hydroxyl group. This polarity allows alcohols to dissolve in water.
Alcohols are also organic molecules, meaning that they contain carbon. In fact,
the carbon atom in an alcohol is bonded to the hydroxyl group and the carbonyl group.
This makes alcohols very versatile molecules that can be used in a variety of chemical
reactions.

Ethyl Alcohol
Ethyl Alcohol is an organic compound that is a colorless, flammable liquid with a
characteristic odor. It is the intoxicating agent in alcoholic beverages.

Ethyl alcohol is a reduced form of ethanol. It is a colorless, flammable liquid with

a characteristic odor. Ethanol is the intoxicating agent in alcoholic beverages. Ethanol
is the most common type of alcohol. It is a colorless, flammable liquid with a
characteristic odor. It is the intoxicating agent in alcoholic beverages

Hard Seltzers
Hard Seltzers are carbonated water drinks that are flavored with a fruit or other
natural flavor. They are often called “sparkling water” drinks or “seltzer water” drinks.
They are similar to soft drinks, but they are made with water and carbon dioxide,
instead of sugar and other sweeteners. Some people drink hard seltzers to replace soft
drinks and other sweetened drinks. Others drink them because they like the taste of the
flavored water. Some hard seltzers also contain caffeine.

Natural Alcohol
Natural alcohol is a product that is made through the fermentation of natural
products such as fruits, vegetables, and grains. The fermentation process is done by
yeast and bacteria, and the end result is an alcoholic beverage. The most common types
of natural alcohol are beer, wine, and hard cider.
TYPES OF ALCOHOL

USES OF ALCOHOL

Alcohol are used for:

Alcoholic Drinks.
Industrial methylated spirits.

Use of ethanol as a fuel.

Ethanol as a solvent.
Methanol as a fuel.
Methanol as an industrial feedstock.
 Alcoholic Drinks

The word "alcohol" in alcoholic drinks refers to ethanol (CH3CH2OH).

Industrial methylated spirits

Ethanol is usually sold as industrial methylated spirits, which is ethanol with a small
quantity of methanol and possibly some color added. Because methanol is poisonous,
industrial methylated spirits are unfit to drink, allowing purchasers to avoid the high
taxes levied on alcoholic drinks.

Use of ethanol as a fuel

Ethanol burns to produce carbon dioxide and water, as shown in the equation below,
and can be used as a fuel in its own right or in mixtures with petrol (gasoline). "Gasohol"
is a petrol/ethanol mixture containing approximately 10–20% ethanol. Because ethanol
can be produced by fermentation, this is a useful method for countries without an oil
industry to reduce the amount of petrol imports.

Ethanol as a solvent

Ethanol is widely used as a solvent. It is relatively safe and can be used to dissolve many
organic compounds that are insoluble in water. It is used, for example, in many perfumes
and cosmetics.

Methanol as a fuel
Methanol also burns to form carbon dioxide and water. It can be used a a petrol additive
to improve combustion, and its use as a fuel in its own right is under investigation.

Methanol as an industrial feedstock

Most methanol is used to make other compounds, for example, methanal

(formaldehyde), ethanoic acid, and methyl esters of various acids. In most cases, these
are then converted into further products.

REFERENCES:

https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Organic_Chemistry/Supplemental_Modules_(
Organic_Chemistry)/Alcohols/Properties_of_Alcohols/Uses_of_Alcohols
https://infinitylearn.com/surge/chemistry/sources-of-alcohols/

https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/facts/alcoholic-drinks-and-units/what-is-alcohol-
ingredients-chemicals-and-manufacture#:~:text=in%20its%20production.-
,How%20is%20alcohol%20made%3F,are%20ethanol%20and%20carbon%20dioxide).
 PHENOL: Nomenclature, Structure, Sources and Uses
Monique Laro & Catherine Lorono

In organic chemistry, phenols, sometimes called phenolics, are a class of chemical

compounds consisting of one or more hydroxyl groups (—OH) bonded directly to an
aromatic hydrocarbon group. The simplest is phenol, C6H5OH. Phenolic compounds
are classified as simple phenols or polyphenols based on the number of phenol units in
the molecule.

Phenol – the simplest of the phenols.

Chemical structure of salicylic acid, the active metabolite of aspirin.

Phenols are both synthesized industrially and produced by plants and microorganisms.

Properties of Phenol

Though both alcohols and phenols contain -OH group, their physical properties vary due
to the presence of benzene ring in phenol. The presence of the benzene ring modifies
the properties of phenol.

Phenol is a white crystalline solid at room temperature. However, the crystals turn pink
with time. The coloration is because of oxidation.

Phenol has a characteristic odor.

Phenol has a molecular mass of 94.11 g/mol.

The melting point of phenol is 40 degree's celsius

Its boiling point is higher than other organic compounds of the comparable mass
because of intramolecular hydrogen bonding. It boils at 181.7 degrees celsius

It is weakly acidic, having a pH value between 5 and 6. The acidic nature arises due to
the highly electronegative oxygen drawing the electrons it shares with hydrogen to
itself. This withdrawal of electrons by the oxygen gets stability by conjugation in the
benzene ring. Consequently, the hydrogen atom of the -OH leaves as a hydrogen ion,
causing the acidic nature of phenol. Salts called phenoxides form when phenol reacts
with alkalis.

Acidity

Phenols are more acidic than typical alcohols. The acidity of the hydroxyl group in
phenols is commonly intermediate between that of aliphatic alcohols and carboxylic
acids (their pKa is usually between 10 and 12). Deprotonation of a phenol forms a
corresponding negative phenolate ion or phenoxide ion, and the corresponding salts
are called phenolates or phenoxides (aryloxides according to the IUPAC Gold Book).

Condensation with aldehydes and ketones

Phenols are susceptible to Electrophilic aromatic substitutions. Condensation with

formaldehyde gives resinous materials, famously Bakelite.

Another industrial-scale electrophilic aromatic substitution is the production of

bisphenol A, which is produced by the condensation with acetone.

C-Alkylation with alkenes

Phenol is readily alkylated at the ortho positions using alkenes in the presence of a
Lewis acid such as aluminium phenoxide:

CH2=CR2 + C6H5OH → R2CHCH2-2-C6H4OH

More than 100,000 tons of tert-butyl phenols are produced annually (year: 2000) in this
way, using isobutylene (CH2=CMe2) as the alkylating agent. Especially important is 2,6-
ditert-butylphenol, a versatile antioxidant

Other reactions

Phenols undergo esterification. Phenol esters are active esters, being prone to
hydrolysis. Phenols are reactive species toward oxidation. Oxidative cleavage, for
instance cleavage of 1,2-dihydroxybenzene to the monomethylester of 2,4
hexadienedioic acid with oxygen, copper chloride in pyridine[3] Oxidative de-
aromatization to quinones also known as the Teuber reaction.[4] and oxone.[5] In
reaction depicted below 3,4,5-trimethylphenol reacts with singlet oxygen generated
from oxone/sodium carbonate in an acetonitrile/water mixture to a para-peroxyquinole.
This hydroperoxide is reduced to the quinole with sodium thiosulfate.

Phenols are oxidized to hydroquinones in the Elbs persulfate oxidation.

Reaction of naphtols and hydrazines and sodium bisulfite in the Bucherer carbazole
synthesis.

Phenol Structure and Formula

Phenols have the alcohol functional group bonded to a carbon atom of a cyclic
structure. The ring structure has alternate double and single bonds.

The formula of phenol is C6H5OH. Benzene has the formula C6H6

It is a hexagonal ring of six carbon atoms bonded with alternate single and double
bonds. Each carbon atom in benzene has a bond with a hydrogen atom. In phenol, a
hydroxyl group replaces one of the hydrogen atoms.

The images represent the structure of benzene and phenol.

Structure of Benzene Molecule

 Structure of Phenol Molecule

Synthesis

Many phenols of commercial interest are prepared by elaboration of phenol or cresols.

They are typically produced by the alkylation of benzene/toluene with propylene to form
cumene then O2 is added with H2SO4 to form phenol (Hock process). In addition to the
reactions above, many other more specialized reactions produce phenols:

rearrangement of esters in the Fries rearrangement

rearrangement of N-phenylhydroxylamines in the Bamberger rearrangement

dealkylation of phenolic ethers

reduction of quinones

replacement of an aromatic amine by an hydroxyl group with water and sodium bisulfide
in the Bucherer reaction

thermal decomposition of aryl diazonium salts, the salts are converted to phenol

by the oxidation of aryl silanes—an aromatic variation of the Fleming-Tamao oxidation

catalytic synthesis from aryl bromides and iodides using nitrous oxide

Classification

The best-selling drug in the U.S. is Acetaminophen, also known as Paracetamol is a

phenol.

There are various classification schemes.[14]: 2  A commonly used scheme is based on

the number of carbons and was devised by Jeffrey Harborne and Simmonds in 1964 and
published in 1980

Phenol - the parent compound, used as a disinfectant and for chemical synthesis
Bisphenol A - and other bisphenols produced from ketones and phenol / cresol

BHT - (butylated hydroxytoluene) - a fat-soluble antioxidant and food additive

4-Nonylphenol - a breakdown product of detergents and nonoxynol-9

Orthophenyl phenol - a fungicide used for waxing citrus fruits

Picric acid - (trinitrophenol) - an explosive material

Phenolphthalein - pH indicator

Xylenol - used in antiseptics & disinfectants

REFERENCES:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenols?fbclid=IwAR3hKbBjunytJ1vX7XFdrWLuwnp-
geY3IZscAMvgRPHFfTlPM6NDZ64QWEw

https://www.britannica.com/science/phenol

https://study.com/learn/lesson/phenol-group-structure-uses-
formula.html?fbclid=IwAR3o3BefcjYwh48dkkQdXmhsGb4blxGpPQOXop6QGRJCEHN0
SHAlusrHcpY
 ETHER: Nomenclature, Structure, Sources and Uses
ABEGAIL ANN AJOS & RITCHEL VERANO

STRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ETHER

Ether: an organic compound in which an oxygen atom is bonded to two carbon atoms
by single bond.

—General formula: R–O–R

—Functional group: C–O–C

—Examples:

—Can be visualized as a derivative of

water

NOMENCLATURE FOR ETHERS

Common Names for Ethers

Common names are almost always used when the alkyl groups contain four or fewer
carbon atoms.
Name the two hydrocarbon groups attached to oxygen atom of the ether and add the
word ether.

—The hydrocarbon groups are listed in alphabetical order.

—When both R groups are same, use di– as a prefix on the alkyl name.

—Example:

IUPAC NOMENCLATURE

Select the longest carbon chain and use its name as the best name.
Change the –yl ending of the other hydrocarbon group to –oxy to obtain the alkoxy
group (—OR) name.

—Examples: methyl becomes methoxy, ethyl becomes ethoxy, etc.

 Place the alkoxy name, with a locator number, in front of the base chain name.
—Examples:

The simplest aromatic ether has a methoxy group attached to a benzene ring.

— Common name: anisole

— Derivatives are named as substituted anisoles.

SOURCE AND USES OF ETHER

There are many specific types of ether depending on what the 'R' group is. One of
the most common ethers is diethyl ether.

We have heard of medical doctors who administer anaesthesia to help manage

pain during surgery. The main ingredient in anaesthesia is diethyl ether. Yes, you read
that right! It's diethyl ether, which belongs to the family of ethers. The discovery of ether
allowed physicians to use more refined techniques of surgery and medications. After
the invention of safer, more effective inhalation anaesthetics. The discovery of ether
allowed physicians to develop more refined surgical techniques and better understand
human physiology.
The discovery of ether for the use as an anesthetic was in 1846 which marked the
birth of a modern age in anesthesiology. Although its use has been abandoned in the
developed world, ether was safely and effectively used as an inhalation anesthetic for
over one hundred years.
Since diethyl ether can be used as an anesthetic, it's also become appealing as a
recreational drug to some, despite legal ramifications. Diethyl ether is a controlled
substance and can be inhaled by users to induce euphoria, dissociation, and sedation.
However, overdose of diethyl ether can lead to respiratory paralysis and death. Other
symptoms include dizziness, vomiting, and respiratory damage. Since then, however,
ether has been replaced with less flammable, safer alternatives. In the other hand The
more volatile ethers have been used as

liquid refrigerants
general anesthetics
commercial solvents
primers for gasoline engines
fuel additives
rocket propellants.
 Other ethers have been used as alkylating agents in chemical syntheses of organic
chemicals and in the manufacture of polymers. They are also used to denature alcohol.
Halogenated ethers are used in the preparation of ion-exchange resin, which is a
modified polystyrene resin that is chloromethylated and then treated with a tertiary
amine or with a polyamine. Ethers have wide use as commercial solvents and
extractants for esters, gums, hydrocarbons, alkaloids, oils, resins, dyes, plastics,
lacquers, and paints. They are used as dewaxing extractants for lubricating oils. Ethers
have had limited use as cleaning and spotting agents. They are used as chemical
intermediates in the manufacture of textile aids, such as dyes and resins. In the
pharmaceutical industry, ethers are used as solvents, suspending agents, flavorings for
oral drugs, and dental products. They are used to increase viscosity, as penetrants and
wetting agents and as antioxidants and stabilizers. Ethers are used in foods as
flavorings and in perfumes as fragrances. They are used as solvents for elastomers and
for regenerating rubber. They have use as antiskinning agents in surface coatings and
as weathering agents for paints and plastics. Ethers are also used in soaps. Ethers
appear in heat transfer agents. Several industries use specific ethers for thickening,
dispersing, suspending, binding, and film forming.

Ethers are generally colorless, sweet-smelling liquids at room temperature. They

have a low boiling point compared to water. Due to the structure of the molecule, ether
is extremely flammable, which is partially why it's no longer used in medicine today. To
prevent any chemical reactions that might cause fire, ether is stored in a brown bottle,
which does not let sunlight interact with the chemical.
Symmetrical ethers are produced by the catalytic dehydration of their
corresponding alcohols, for example, diethyl ether from ethanol. They are also obtained
as by-products from the formation of their corresponding esters or alcohols. Ethers may
also be made by special synthesis procedures. Some ethers are obtained through the
destructive distillation of selected hardwoods.

The Naturally occurring ethers may be constituents of essential oils and may be
extracted from these sources. Although some ethers may appear naturally, they may be
prepared synthetically from other chemicals or other ethers.