MP Board · Class 12 · Chemistry · Alcohols, Phenols and EthersExplain the cleavage of C-O bond in ethers with hydrogen halides.

The carbon-oxygen bond in ethers undergoes cleavage when treated with strong hydrogen halides like HI or HBr under heating conditions. The reaction begins with the protonation of the ether oxygen atom by the hydrogen halide to form a protonated oxonium ion. Subsequently, a halide ion attacks the less sterically hindered alkyl group of the protonated ether via an SN2 or SN1 mechanism, depending on the structure of the alkyl groups, yielding an alcohol and an alkyl halide as the primary reaction products.