Question

Ethers when dissolved in cold concentrated sulphuric acid forms ______.

Options

• oxonium salts

• alkanoic acids

• alkanols

• alkyl hydrogen sulphate

Answer 1

Ethers when dissolved in cold concentrated sulphuric acid forms oxonium salts.

Explanation:

Oxonium salts are created when ethers and cold concentrated sulfuric acid combine. Due to the lone pairs of electrons on oxygen atoms in ethers, it behaves as a Lewis base and forms protonatedoxonium salt when it reacts with a strong acid.

$$\mathrm{H}{\phantom{A}}_3\mathrm{C}-\stackrel{\bullet \bullet }{\underset{\mathrm{Ether}}{\underset{\bullet \bullet }{\mathrm{O}}}}-\mathrm{CH}{\phantom{A}}_3\stackrel{\mathrm{H}{\phantom{A}}_2\mathrm{SO}{\phantom{A}}_4}{\to }\left[\begin{array}{c}\mathrm{H}\phantom{..}\\ |\phantom{..}\\ \underset{\mathrm{Oxonium}\mathrm{salt}}{\mathrm{H}{\phantom{A}}_3\mathrm{C}-\mathrm{O}{\phantom{A}}^{+}-\mathrm{CH}{\phantom{A}}_3}\end{array}\right]$$