Organic Chemistry - Ethers, Thiols, and Sulfides

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to ethers, thiols, and sulfides in organic chemistry.

Ether

A compound with the general formula (R-O-R′), where R and R′ are alkyl or aryl groups.

Diethyl ether

Commonly referred to as ether, it has the chemical structure CH3CH2OCH2CH3.

Thiol

A sulfur analogue of alcohol with the functional group R-SH (mercaptan).

Sulfide

A sulfur analogue of ethers, with the general formula R-S-R′.

Williamson Ether Synthesis

A method for preparing ethers by reacting an alkoxide ion with an alkyl halide.

Epoxide

A cyclic ether with a three-membered ring structure, containing one oxygen atom.

Cyclic ethers

Ethers where the ether oxygen is part of a ring structure.

Autoxidation

A free radical process through which ethers can react with oxygen to form explosive peroxides.

Acidic cleavage of ethers

A reaction where ethers are cleaved by strong acids to form alcohols and alkyl halides.

Claisen rearrangement

A [3,3] sigmatropic rearrangement involving allyl vinyl ethers to form ortho-allyl phenols.

Crown ether

Cyclic polyether compounds containing multiple oxygen atoms that can solvate cations.

Disulfide

A compound containing an S-S linkage, formed from the oxidation of thiols.

Oxidation state of sulfur

Sulfur can exist in various oxidation states ranging from -2 to +6.

Nucleophilic addition

A reaction where a nucleophile attacks the electrophilic carbon in a carbonyl group.

Acyl group

A functional group derived from a carboxylic acid by removing the hydroxyl group.

Hydrosulfide anion

A negatively charged ion (HS⁻) that can react with alkyl halides to form thiols.

Trialkylsulfonium salt

A compound formed from the reaction of a sulfide with an alkyl halide.

Solvolysis

The reaction between a solute and a solvent, often involving nucleophilic substitution.

Aldol reaction

A reaction where two carbonyl compounds form a β-hydroxy carbonyl compound (aldol) through nucleophilic addition.