Diethyl ether
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Description
A volatile, sweet smelling liquid that was formerly used as an anesthetic. Commonly known as ether, diethyl ether is a strong solvent that dissolves most oils, fats, waxes, and polymers. Although listed in earlier references and recipes for etching grounds and removing wax, ether is no longer used because of its hazards.
Synonyms and Related Terms
ether; ethyl ether; ethoxyethane; sulfuric ether; ethyloxide; diethyl oxide
Risks
- Highly flammable. Forms explosive peroxides.
- Nervous system depressant by inhalation or skin absorption.
- Millipore Sigma: SDS
- EPA lists diethyl ether as hazardous waste; concentrations over 10% must be disposed of appropriately
Physical and Chemical Properties
Miscible in ethanol, chloroform, benzene, naphtha and oils. Slightly soluble in water.
| Composition | (C2H5)2O |
|---|---|
| CAS | 60-29-7 |
| Melting Point | -116.3 C |
| Density | 0.7147 g/ml |
| Molecular Weight | mol. wt. = 74.1 |
| Refractive Index | 1.352 |
| Boiling Point | 34.6 C |
Comparisons
Resources and Citations
- R. J. Gettens, G.L. Stout, Painting Materials, A Short Encyclopaedia, Dover Publications, New York, 1966
- Ralph Mayer, A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques, Harper and Row Publishers, New York, 1969 (also 1945 printing)
- Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993
- Hermann Kuhn, Conservation and Restoration of Works of Art and Antiquities, Butterworths, London, 1986
- Matt Roberts, Don Etherington, Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: a Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 1982
- CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, Robert Weast (ed.), CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, v. 61, 1980 Comment: ref. index=1.352