Chemical Reactions of Ethers
Understand the cleavage of ethers by acids like HI, including the mechanism (SN1/SN2), and the resistance of ethers to nucleophilic substitution.
Why this shows up in the exam
You need to predict products and explain selectivity in ether cleavage.
How NEET tests this
Practise it
These are real questions from past NEET papers that test this exact idea.
The major organic product in the reaction is CH3 – O – CH(CH3)2 + HI → products
Push further
More challenging14 harder questions built from the past papers above — a step up in difficulty, with distractors designed so you can't get there by elimination. Written and checked by our reviewers, not from a real paper.
An unknown organic compound, C4H10O, does not react with sodium metal, nor does it decolorize bromine water. It is also found to be stable towards dilute aqueous NaOH solution even on heating. Based on this information, the compound is most likely:
More from Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers
Chemical Reactions of Alcohols
Master the key reactions of alcohols: oxidation, reduction, dehydration (including Zaitsev's rule and carbocation rearrangements), and conversion to alkyl halides.
Preparation of Alcohols
Study the various laboratory and industrial methods for preparing alcohols, including hydration of alkenes, hydroboration-oxidation, reduction of carbonyl compounds, and Grignard reactions.
Alcohols, Phenols, and Ethers in Organic Analysis
Learn the characteristic tests for identifying alcohols, phenols, and ethers, such as the Lucas test, iodoform test, and other functional group detection methods.
Acidic and Basic Properties
Compare the acidity and basicity of alcohols, phenols, and carboxylic acids, and understand the effect of substituents on acidity.
Preparation of Ethers
Learn the Williamson ether synthesis and other methods for preparing ethers, including the choice of reactants and reaction conditions.
Chemical Reactions of Phenols
Study the characteristic reactions of phenols, including electrophilic aromatic substitution, bromination, and the Reimer-Tiemann reaction.