When diethyl ether is heated with conc. sulfuric acid under pressure, it forms

Options

A. Propanoic acid
B. Acetic acid
C. Ethyl alcohol
D. Acetic acid

Explanation

To solve the question of what happens when diethyl ether is heated with concentrated sulfuric acid under pressure, we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Identify the Reactants**:
- The reactants are diethyl ether (C2H5-O-C2H5) and concentrated sulfuric acid (H2SO4).

2. **Understand the Reaction Conditions**:
- The reaction is conducted under heat and pressure, which can facilitate the breaking of bonds in the ether.

3. **Break Down the Ether**:
- Diethyl ether can be represented as C2H5-O-C2H5. When it reacts with concentrated sulfuric acid, the ether bond (C-O) can be broken.

4. **Protonation of Ether**:
- The sulfuric acid dissociates into H+ and HSO4-. The H+ ion can protonate the ether oxygen, making it more susceptible to nucleophilic attack.

5. **Formation of Ethanol**:
- The protonated ether can undergo cleavage, leading to the formation of ethyl alcohol (C2H5OH) and an ethyl sulfate (C2H5HSO4) as a side product.

6. **Final Products**:
- The main product formed from this reaction is ethyl alcohol (ethanol), and the side product is ethyl hydrogen sulfate (C2H5HSO4).

7. **Conclusion**:
- Therefore, when diethyl ether is heated with concentrated sulfuric acid under pressure, the primary product formed is ethyl alcohol.

### Final Answer:
- The product formed is **ethyl alcohol (ethanol)**.

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