Preparation of diethyl ether

The preparation of diethyl ether is as follows:

Ether, chemical formula C2H5OC2H5, is a common organic solvent, which is widely used in chemistry, medicine, spices and other fields. There are two main methods to prepare ether: laboratory method and industrial method.

The laboratory preparation method is catalytic etherification of glycolic acid to prepare ether. The specific steps are as follows:

1. Add12ml of ethanol to the dry flask. Ethanol is the raw material for preparing ether, and its quality directly affects the yield and purity of ether.

2. Continue to add 12ml concentrated sulfuric acid and mix well. Concentrated sulfuric acid is a catalyst, which can accelerate the etherification of ethanol.

3. Add 25ml of ethanol into the dropping funnel. The dropping funnel is used for dropping ethanol, which can control the dropping speed and ensure the smooth progress of the reaction.

4. Connect the experimental equipment according to the equipment diagram. The experimental device includes a triangular flask, a dropping funnel, a condensing tube, a receiving bottle, etc. All parts are connected with rubber plugs or glass plugs.

5. Use electric heating jacket to heat, so that the reaction temperature rises rapidly. Heating can provide energy for the reaction and promote the etherification of ethanol.

The industrial preparation method is to dehydrate ethanol to generate ether under the catalysis of alumina. The specific steps are as follows:

1. Add ethanol and alumina catalyst to the reaction kettle. Reaction kettle is the main equipment for preparing ether, which can withstand high temperature and high pressure.

2. Heat the reaction kettle to dehydrate ethanol under the action of catalyst to generate ether. The reaction temperature is 300℃ and the pressure is 0.5-65438±0 MPa.

3. Cool the reaction solution and separate the ether. The cooled reaction solution contains ether, water and unreacted ethanol, and the ether needs to be separated by a separation device.

And 4, rectifying the separated ether to obtain a high-purity ether product. Distillation uses the boiling point difference between ether and ethanol to separate ether and ethanol by heating and cooling.

Whether it is a laboratory method or an industrial method, it is necessary to strictly control the reaction conditions to ensure the yield and purity of ether. In addition, the storage and transportation of ether also need to pay attention to fire and explosion prevention to avoid safety accidents.

Ether is an important solvent, which can dissolve a variety of organic substances and is often used as an extractant or reaction medium for natural products. Colorless and transparent liquid, with special pungent smell, sweet taste and volatile. Its steam is heavier than air. It can be oxidized into peroxide, aldehyde and acetic acid under the action of air. Therefore, in the process of using ether, we should pay attention to safety protection and avoid long-term contact with ether vapor.