Ethers have a net dipole moment due to the difference in electronegativity between the oxygen and carbon atoms in the C-O-C linkage. This creates a partial negative charge on the oxygen atom and partial positive charges on the carbon atoms. While ethers are less polar than alcohols, their dipole moments contribute to higher boiling points compared to alkanes with similar molecular weights. However, ethers generally have lower boiling points than alcohols with comparable molecular weights because hydrogen bonding, present in alcohols, is stronger than dipole-dipole interactions in ethers. The weak polarity of ethers results in intermediate boiling points between alkanes and alcohols.