Introduction

Dear students, in this project we will learn about ethers. But after all, what are ethers? They are a group of organic compounds characterized by the presence of an oxygen atom bonded to two carbon atoms of organic radicals. In simpler chemical terms, an ether looks like this: R-O-R', where R and R' represent the organic radicals. In fact, ethers have a wide variety of radicals that can be attached to them, which makes them extremely versatile!

It is not only important to know the structure of ethers, but also to understand their physical and chemical properties. Overall, they are known for their low reactivity, moderate boiling point, and variable solubility in water (depending on the size of the radicals attached to the oxygen). The low reactivity is particularly remarkable, as it makes ethers useful as solvents in various chemical reactions.

Finally, it is crucial to understand the nomenclature of ethers. Like many other organic compounds, there are specific rules for naming them, and this is something that we will delve into during the development of the project.

Contextualization

Ethers play an important role in the real world, with practical applications ranging from medicine to the chemical industry. For example, diethyl ether was one of the first general anesthetics used in surgeries. Despite its use having declined due to its high flammability and airway irritability, in the 19th century it brought about a huge revolution in medicine.

In addition, many ethers are used as solvents in industrial processes due to their low reactivity and ability to dissolve a wide range of organic compounds. They are especially common in the pharmaceutical industry, where they are used to dissolve substances for drug production.

For the development of this project, I recommend the following reliable sources of information:

• Book: Atkins, P.; Jones, L.: Principles of Chemistry, 3rd ed. Bookman, 2006. (Chapter 10)
• Website: InfoEscola: Ether (https://www.infoescola.com/quimica/eter/)
• Video: Khan Academy in Portuguese: Ethers (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuJ3fDoLLEo)

I remind you that it is important to use and correctly cite all the sources that served as the basis for your study and development of the project.

Practical Activity

Title: Building Virtual Ethers

Project Objective

The purpose of this project is to use computer simulation to create ethers, observe their properties, and further understand the behavior, applications, and impact of these compounds in society.

Project Description

In this project, groups will be creating virtual ethers with the aid of molecular modeling software, such as "MolView" or "MarvinSketch", which are free and easy to use. The students will be introduced to the structure, properties, and nomenclature of ethers, creating their own examples and analyzing the consequences of certain changes in the compound. Each group must create and analyze at least 5 different ethers.

Materials Required

• Computer with internet access
• Molecular modeling program. MolView (http://molview.org/) or MarvinSketch (https://chemaxon.com/products/marvin) is recommended.

Step-by-Step

1. Form groups of 3 to 5 students.
2. Each group should study about ethers using the indicated sources.
3. After the theoretical study, each group should virtually create 5 different ethers using the chosen molecular modeling software.
4. For each ether created, the students should note some properties such as its structure, molar mass, chemical formula, and name.
5. Each group should document their findings for each ether and express in report form how the name and observed properties were arrived at.

Project Submission

After carrying out the practical part, the students should submit a formatted report containing the following topics:

1. Introduction: Here, the students should explain what ethers are, their importance and everyday applications, and the purpose of this project.

2. Development: In this part of the report, the group should detail the process of creating the virtual ethers, the theory involved, the methodology used, and the results obtained, including the properties of each ether created.

3. Conclusion: The report should end with a discussion of the conclusions that can be drawn about ethers based on the work carried out, emphasizing what was learned about their properties, uses, and the impact of these compounds on society.

4. Bibliography: The students should indicate the sources that were consulted to carry out the project, such as books, web pages, videos, among others.

The reports should be submitted within a week and the estimated time to carry out this project is 2 to 4 hours per student.

This project aims to develop technical skills related to understanding ethers and their properties, as well as socioemotional skills such as time management, communication, problem solving, creative thinking, and proactivity.