Ethyl methyl ether

Structural formula
General
Surname	Ethyl methyl ether
other names	Methyl ethyl ether Methoxyethane
Molecular formula	C 3 H 8 O
Brief description	extremely flammable, colorless gas with an ethereal odor
External identifiers / databases
CAS number 540-67-0 EC number 611-089-6 ECHA InfoCard 100,128,000 PubChem 10903 Wikidata Q417557
properties
Molar mass	60.10 g mol −1
Physical state	gaseous
density	0.72 g cm −3 (at the boiling point)
Melting point	−139.2 ° C
boiling point	7.4 ° C
Vapor pressure	1601 hPa (20 ° C)
solubility	moderate in water (50 g l −1 at 25 ° C) miscible with diethyl ether and ethanol
Refractive index	1.3420 (4 ° C)
safety instructions
GHS hazard labeling from  Regulation (EC) No. 1272/2008 (CLP) , expanded if necessary danger H and P phrases H: 220 P: ?
Thermodynamic properties
ΔH f 0	−216.4 kJ / mol
As far as possible and customary, SI units are used. Unless otherwise noted, the data given apply to standard conditions . Refractive index: Na-D line , 20 ° C

Ethyl methyl ether is a chemical compound from the group of ethers . The compound is present at room temperature as an ethereal-smelling, easily flammable gas.

Extraction and presentation

Ethyl methyl ether can be obtained by a Williamson ether synthesis from sodium ethanolate and bromomethane :

properties

Ethyl methyl ether is a colorless, readily water-soluble, highly flammable gas and a Lewis base . Ethyl methyl ether has a critical temperature of 164.7 ° C, a critical pressure of 43.9 bar, a critical density of 0.272 kg / l and a triple point temperature of −139.2 ° C.

use

Ethyl methyl ether is used as an anesthetic and as an intermediate for other organic compounds (such as methoxyflurane, which is also used as an anesthetic ).

safety instructions

The vapors of ethyl methyl ether are heavier than air and can form an explosive mixture with it ( flash point −37 ° C, ignition temperature 190 ° C). At higher concentrations in the air, the ether has an irritating effect on the mucous membranes of the eyes and airways. A narcotic effect has been demonstrated for both humans and mice.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h} Entry on ethyl methyl ether in the GESTIS substance database of the IFA , accessed on February 22, 2017(JavaScript required) .
2. ↑ ^{a b} Entry on ethyl methyl ether in the ChemIDplus database of the United States National Library of Medicine (NLM) .
3. ↑ David R. Lide (Ed.): CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics . 89th edition. (Internet version: 2009), CRC Press / Taylor and Francis, Boca Raton, FL, Physical Constants of Organic Compounds, pp. 3-248.
4. ↑ David R. Lide (Ed.): CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics . 90th edition. (Internet version: 2010), CRC Press / Taylor and Francis, Boca Raton, FL, Physical Constants of Organic Compounds, pp. 3-248.
5. ↑ Entry on ethyl methyl ether in the Classification and Labeling Inventory of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), accessed on February 1, 2016. Manufacturers or distributors can expand the harmonized classification and labeling .
6. ↑ David R. Lide (Ed.): CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics . 90th edition. (Internet version: 2010), CRC Press / Taylor and Francis, Boca Raton, FL, Standard Thermodynamic Properties of Chemical Substances, pp. 5-25.
7. ↑ Philip H. Howard (Ed.): Handbook of Environmental Fate and Exposure Data for Organic Chemicals. Volume 4: Solvents 2. Lewis, Chelsea MI et al. 1993, ISBN 0-87371-413-X , p. 299.