Diethyl ether reacts vigorously with phosphorus pentachloride () upon heating. What are the complete — Alcohols Phenols and Ethers Chemistry Question

💡 Solution & Explanation

Ethers undergo cleavage when heated with $PCl_5$. Both $C-O$ bonds are broken. Each alkyl group pairs with a chlorine atom from $PCl_5$ to form two molecules of alkyl chloride ($2 C_2H_5Cl$). The remaining oxygen bonds with the phosphorus fragment to form phosphoryl chloride ($POCl_3$).