The ether functional group is R¹OR², where R¹ and R² are alkyl or aryl groups which may or may not be the same. The central part of the ether molecule is C-O-C, and because the oxygen atom is attached only to carbons and not to a hydrogen atom the ethers are relatively unreactive. If a hydrogen atom was attached to the oxygen many of the properties would be similar to those of the alcohols. Instead the relative unreactivity is more closely related to the alkanes.

One of the main uses of ethers are as organic solvents. The oxygen atom of an ether functional group has two lone pairs of electrons. This is important in solutions of high hydrogen ion concentration where one of these pairs of electrons can form a dative covalent bond (where one of the two atoms involved contributes both electrons...