Consider the cleavage of tert-butyl methyl ether with concentrated . The reaction proceeds via an me — Alcohols Phenols and Ethers Chemistry Question

💡 Solution & Explanation

When one of the alkyl groups is tertiary, cleavage shifts to $S_N1$ because the intermediate tertiary carbocation is highly stable. The $O-C(tert)$ bond breaks (rate-determining step), and the $I^-$ then attacks the stable carbocation, yielding tert-butyl iodide and methanol.