Talk:Diethyl ether

message: Is 1,1-oxybis(ethane) a correct name?  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 176.88.140.181 (talk) 02:10, 1 March 2020 (UTC)
thread_title: 1 

message: A quick google search on the original latin name has led me to believe it might be more correct as "oleum vitrioli dulce" rather than "oleum dulcis vitrioli" in the article.  Perhaps they are equivalent?
Dolphin Cheese (talk) 19:27, 25 February 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Latin 

message: Shouldn't there be a section on the synthesis and chemical reactions of all chemical substances? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 68.4.29.59 (talk) 02:28, 11 December 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Synthesis and Reactions

message: Perhaps the section on recreational use should contain information on "ether drinking".  Haligonian1 14:28, 14 June 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Ether Drinking

message: I know how to pronounce ether, but how do you pronounce Diethyl? Is it DY-thill  or  dy-EE-thill?--Labine50 08:40, 17 July 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Pronunciation

message: Anyone know the triple point of diethyl ether or perhaps have access to its phase diagram?  ++Arx Fortis (talk) 09:17, 26 November 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Triple Point 

message: In the anaesthetics section, it says:
:Ether is still the preferred anesthetic in some developing nations due to its high therapeutic index (~1.5-2.2) [7] and low price.
However a therapeutic index of 1.5 to 2.2 is definitely not high, in fact a TI under 3 is considered a dangerous drug that requires constant monitoring, while one as low as 1.5 would probably be considered too dangerous to use at all. High, safe TIs are on the order of a hundred or more. (The reason for this is simple: the TI is the ratio of the means of two statistical distributions, TD50 (toxic dose harmful to 50% of population) to ED50 (therapeutic dose effective in 50% of population.) Because these are distributions, some people will require a therapeutic dose substantially higher than ED50, and some people will be harmed by a dose much lower than TD50. The closer together these doses are, the less margin there is between these figures, and the more patients will be harmed, even if expert guidance means that patient's ED is only just reached. The proportion of people harmed will also depend on the standard deviation of these distributions, which is not known here; but in practice, s.d.s for drug doses are usually of the same order as the mean. That means that with a TI as low as 1.5, we can expect multiple tens of percents of patients to be harmed by the drug, even if expertly administered.)
I don't know what the true TI of ether is, because the given reference at http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/cgi/reprint/55/1/24.pdf is available to subscribers only, but there is obviously something wrong the current version. If the TI of ether really is as low as 1.5, then ether anaesthesia is extremely dangerous and it can only be considered "safe" relative to some even more insanely dangerous material. If ether really is considered "safe", then its TI must be much higher than 2.2, and this entry is in error. -- 202.63.39.58 (talk) 03:16, 26 October 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Therapeutic index 

message: I removed the use as a tick removal aid. It was at least a useless advice, maybe even a dangerous one.
Sources: 
http://chppm-www.apgea.army.mil/ento/TickEduc/Tickremoval.pdf , 
http://www.aafp.org/afp/20020815/643.html , 
http://www.bada-uk.org/defence/removal/indextickremoval.php , 
etc.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.178.146.110 (talk) 16:47, 1 June 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: No, it's not very toxic aside from the immediate effects, which require considerably more concentration than they were likely exposed to.  At low doses it's more of a euphoriant than an anesthetic. Dualus (talk) 04:21, 21 May 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  Tick Removal 

message: The section on synthesis should have sulfuric (or other strong acid) dissociating into either hydronium (H3O+) or directly to alkonium (ROH2+) ions. The naked proton does not exist in solution.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.116.206.79 (talk) 09:03, 2 November 2010 (UTC)
replies: text: Although it is a typical shorthand way of writing such equations (using H+ rather than H3O+), it is probably better to write it out explicitly, so I have done so.  -- Ed (Edgar181) 13:55, 1 March 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  Minor Synthesis Error 

message: I moved "metabolism" section to right below medical use where it is of relevance. I removed comments such as "low boiling point" as it is a shaky claim seeing that its quite subjective and I felt it wasn't necessary anyways since the boiling point is given in the data table.  Removed links to external links that was peddling for petitions as well as a seemingly unrelated commercial site. The article still needs a lot of grammar fix.  
Cantaloupe2 (talk) 15:00, 18 August 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  Major clean up 

message: The following sentence in the Safety section isn't as clear (or perhaps accurate) as perhaps it could/should be:
"A common practice in chemical labs is to use steam (thus limiting the temperature to 100 °C (212 °F) when ether must be heated or distilled)."
Since water begins to turn into steam at 100 °C, and can increase literally to thousands of °C in steam form (which is sometimes used to sterilize steel medical equipment for that reason), the rationale given here is factually incorrect, if only by way of omission.  A more apt explanation might be that steam inhibits flame by (A) occupying space where oxygen would otherwise exist in greater abundance (which applies more to liquid water than steam, but is still noteworthy in its gaseous form); (B) forming temporary hydrogen bonds with combustible materials, preventing them from oxidizing (combusting); and (C) "stealing" heat from the fuel-oxygen system wherein combustion may occur--but this only applies if the water/steam is at a temperature less than the ignition temperature of the fuel.
I suspect that the section means to imply the latter ("C"), since normal processes of boiling water cause it to leave the heating apparatus at almost exactly 100 °C (i.e. as soon as it evaporates); but since not everybody understands either that steam has no real "maximum temperature" (that is, without becoming a plasma fireball, I suspect), nor that not all methods of heating produce steam at almost exactly 100 °C, I recommend altering this section to be more clear in at least some respects.  (Perhaps it takes a "more-knowledgeable-than-average-about-chemistry" person to be confused by the above wording, but I'm sure that somebody else will also find it odd, so long as they realize that steam can be more than 100 °C.)
If everyone else is OK with such an alteration of wording--without going into exhaustive/excessive detail, as above--I'd be willing to write the correction, assuming nobody else really wants to do so.  
Also, I recommend using brackets, "[ ]" for inner parentheticals, as recursive parenthesis are usually difficult to read.  Dmutters (talk) 14:02, 27 May 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  Safety Section Needs Clarification 

message: The paragraph on recreational use has the following passage:
"When breathed in very high concentrations of 15-20% in air, such as the vapor from a soaked rag, diethyl ether can suppress spontaneous breathing with potentially lethal consequences. [citation needed]"
It was my understanding that respiratory depression from ether, lethal or not, only occurs at points well past that of a standard anesthetic state, in which the individual has already lost motor control and consciousness entirely. An individual would not be able to apply this dosage to themselves. John Snow talks about only observing this in what he calls the "5th stage of etherization," which had only been induced in animals due to the extremely high doses required to do so.
http://www.ph.ucla.edu/epi/snow/snowetherbook_a4.htm
--216.255.38.252 (talk) 01:08, 2 April 2013 (UTC)
thread_title:  Recreational Use 

message: "Laboratory uses
Diethyl ether is a common laboratory solvent. It has limited solubility in water (6.05 g/100 mL at 25 °C.) [7] and dissolves 1.5 g/100 mL water at 25 °C."
Perhaps I don't understand, but, looking up the solubility in water only to find two different figures makes me wonder what is going on. both referenced. I would go with the Merk index but would have to check it myself making this seem an unreliable source.
first, 6.05g/100 h20 solubility is not limited, to me that's a fair amount.
then 1.5 g/100 ml seems more 'limited' to me.
but who to trust?
must I set up my own experiments and attempt to re-verify work that has already been done?
I hope not.
It is possible that this is either wrong, I don't understand it, is not clear enough, or is confusing be design (a scary thought).
Could anyone clear up this solubility mystery for me?
Thank you for your time and hard work otherwise.
fine article.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.44.208.186 (talk) 22:48, 7 June 2013 (UTC)
thread_title:  solubility mystery question 

message: How is there literally no information on the neurological actions of ether? No explanation for how it induces it's effects is given. LiamSP (talk) 03:12, 8 May 2014 (UTC)
thread_title: Mechanism of Action?

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thread_title:  External links modified 

message: 128.214.78.192 (talk) 21:09, 5 May 2017 (UTC)
replies: text: No.  That is fictional.  -- Ed (Edgar181) 12:37, 6 May 2017 (UTC)
replies: text: I concur, the Agatha Christie-like Ether-on-a-rag isn't a realistic way to knock someone out.  First off, it would trigger a gag reflex pretty quick in most people.  The smell of Diethyl Ether is like a burning tire, very foul, and I don't even understand how people can "huff" or abuse this for some type of recreational purpose - but they do.  The level required for anesthesia is much higher than a rag on the face.   Valgrus Thunderaxe (talk) 13:52, 14 December 2022 (UTC)

text: I'll admit I've tried this (on myself) and I came to the same conclusion as Valgrus Thunderaxe.  This was technical grade Et2O but stated it contained BHT to retard oxidation and maybe that's why I perceived it as unpleasant.  It wasn't anything like ethanol or mint, it was more like xylene or a "dental office" smell, if that makes any sense - and no, this wasn't some type of "petroleum ether".  If you want to knock someone out quickly without blunt force the best way is probably to restrict the carotid artery with a choke hold and then drag the subject into a vehicle where you can further restrain them with privacy.  57.135.233.22 (talk) 05:46, 8 October 2023 (UTC)
replies: text: You should never block blood flow to the brain to knock someome out. Never. It causes brain damage. I don't know how you would consider it a "best" way. Saint concrete (talk) 04:05, 20 October 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  Criminal use in kidnappings? Is it diethyl ether professional criminals use to make victim unconscious? 

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message: The opening paragraph in the current article says "or simply ether".  But not so simple for uninformed readers.  No mention is made of Petroleum Ether which is (IMHO) what most people will know from mentions of ether or ethyl at petrol filling stations and the the wiki page on Ether further confuses the naming.  And never mind Aether too!
Perhaps a disambiguation page for ether is needed? p.r.newman (talk) 14:19, 7 November 2023 (UTC)
replies: text: There is already a disambiguation page for "Ether". ⲔⲖⲞⲢⲠⲒⲔⲢⲒⲚ (talk) 02:03, 23 March 2024 (UTC)
thread_title:  Disambiguation needed?