Question

Diethyl ether on reaction with CO in specific condition forms:
(a) Acetyl Chloride
(b) $C{O_2}$
(c) Ethyl propanoate
(d) Acetic acid

Answer 1

Hint: Ethers have a general formula $R - O - R'$ where $R$ and $R'$ maybe same or different and regarded as alkyl oxide or anhydrides of alcohols. Ethers are isomeric with monohydride alcohols. Here we have diethyl ether which has molecular formula as
$C{H_3}C{H_2} - O - C{H_2}C{H_3}$

Complete Step by step answer:We know that ethers have very very low reactivity. They are as inert as alkanes. This is due to lack of any active site in the molecule. They are inert towards dilute acids, bases, oxidising and reducing agents. Ethers give only few reactions under specific conditions by virtue of lone pair of oxygen or cleavage of $C - O$ bond.
So we have diether ester which is treated with CO under some specific conditions. Since as we said the ether has very low reactivity hence high temperature and pressure has to be applied in order to achieve the reaction. Here the specified specific condition is using $B{F_3}$ at a temperature of $150^\circ C$ and pressure of 500 atm. Here $B{F_3}$ acts a Lewis acid.
When we treat ethers with carbon monoxide in presence of boron trifluoride at a temperature of $150^\circ C$ and a pressure of 500 atm we get esters.

The general formula for this reaction is:
$ROR + CO\xrightarrow[{500atm}]{{B{F_3},150^\circ C}}RCOOR$

From this we can find the reaction of diethyl ether. i.e.,
$C{H_3}C{H_2} - O - C{H_2}C{H_3} + CO\xrightarrow[{500atm}]{{B{F_3},150^\circ C}}C{H_3}C{H_2}COOC{H_2}C{H_3}$
This compound is called ethyl propanoate.

Hence we can say option (c) is correct.

Note: In question apart from ethyl propanoate, the rest of them do not form when reacted with diethyl ether. But when we treat diethyl ether with acetyl chloride in presence of zinc chloride, we get ethyl chloride and ethyl acetate.