Explain the mechanism involved in the intermolecular dehydration of alcohols to give ethers.

Explanation

Inter molecular dehydration of alcohol: We have already learnt that when ethanol is treated with conc. `H SO_(2)` 4 at 443 K, elimination takes place to form ethene. If the same reaction is carried out at 413 K, substition competes over elimination to form others.
`underset("ethanol")(2CH_(3)-CH_(2))-OH overset(H_(2)SO_(4))underset(413 K) to underset("diethyl ether")(CH-O-CH_(2)-CH_(3))`