Updated 05-May-2020.
Mondo shtuff from around the internet, all about DIETHYL ETHER!
My botty best at summarizing from Wikipedia: Diethyl ether is an organic compound in the ether class with the formula (C2H5)2O, sometimes abbreviated as Et2O . it is a colorless, highly volatile flammable diethyl ether is an isomer of butanol . process uses solid-supported phosphoric acid catalysts . yields can be up to 95% . hydrogen ion protonates electronegative oxygen atom of ethanol, giving it a positive charge . ethanol displaces water molecule from protonated (electrophilic) ethanol molecule . alkoxide performs nucleophilic substitution upon an alkyl halide . diethyl ether is very similar to one of its precursors, ethanol . it has limited solubility in water diethyl ether is used as a non-polar solvent in liquid-liquid extraction . it is also a common solvent for the Grignard reaction and other reactions involving organometallic reagents diethyl ether largely supplanted the use of chloroform as a general anesthetic . it is safe used in patients with shock as it preserves the baroreceptor reflex . the use of flammable ether was displaced by nonflammable fluorinated hydrocarbon anesthetics . in the 21st century, ether is rarely used . other currently used inhaled an diethyl ether was found to have undesirable side effects, such as post-anesthetic nausea and vomiting . modern anesthetic agents reduce these side effects . diethyl ether is an inhalant which has a long history of recreational use . with a strong, dense smell, ether causes irritation to respiratory mucosa . in overdose triggering salivation ether drinking is a traditional and still relatively popular recreational drug among Lemkos . as a drug, it has been known to cause temporary dependence . the only symptom of this dependence is the will to consume more . the autoignition temperature of diethyl ether is 160 °C (320 °F) steam is used when ether must be heated or distilled . a common practice in chemical labs is to use steam diffusion of diethyl ether in air is 9.18 106 m2/s (298 K, 101.325 kPa) ether is sensitive to light and air, tending to form explosive per it was synthesized in 1540 by Valerius Cordus, who called it “sweet oil of vitriol” the name reflects the fact that it is obtained by distilling a mixture of ethanol and sulfuric acid