The cleavage of the C-O bond in ethers happens under drastic conditions with excess hydrogen halides. The reaction of a dialkyl ether yields two alkyl halide molecules.

Ethers, like alcohols, show similar miscibility with water due to the ability of the oxygen atom in ethers to form hydrogen bonds with water molecules. The observed miscibility, exemplified by ethoxyethane and butan-1-ol, contrasts with the immiscibility of pentane with ...

The significant difference in boiling points between alcohols and ethers is attributed to the presence of hydrogen bonding in alcohols. Hydrogen bonding increases the intermolecular forces in alcohols, elevating their boiling points compared to ethers.

Ethers have polar C-O bonds, resulting in a net dipole moment. The weak polarity of ethers has a minor impact on boiling points, which are comparable to alkanes but significantly lower than alcohols due to the absence of hydrogen bonding.

Phenols are converted to ethers in Williamson synthesis by utilizing phenol as the phenoxide moiety. This involves the reaction of phenol with alkyl halides, allowing for the formation of ethers through the substitution reaction.