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Williamson ether synthesis template
Premium template. Preview and edit it free in MolDraw; downloading and exporting it is part of MolDraw Pro.
Hydroxide deprotonates phenol; phenoxide displaces iodide from iodomethane to give anisole.
Mechanism step by step
An alkoxide or phenoxide displaces a halide from a methyl or primary alkyl halide (SN2)
- Phenoxide – Hydroxide removes the acidic O–H proton
- SN2 – Phenoxide attacks the methyl carbon
Key points
- Use the hindered partner as the alkoxide and a methyl or 1° halide.
- Tertiary halides eliminate (E2) instead of substituting.
- Alcohols (pKa ≈ 16) need a stronger base such as NaH; phenols (pKa 10) need only NaOH.
- Intramolecular versions make cyclic ethers (epoxides, THF).
Drawn with 50 atoms, 7 arrows, 4 shapes – every one editable in MolDraw.
Sources
How to use this template
- Press Edit in MolDraw. The template opens on the canvas of the free MolDraw editor.
- Change anything: move structures, edit atoms and labels, recolour highlights or delete what you do not need.
- Add your own structures, arrows and text next to it, or combine several templates on one page.
- Export the drawing as PNG, SVG or PDF for slides, worksheets, theses and papers.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Williamson ether synthesis template free?
You can preview the Williamson ether synthesis template here and open and edit it in MolDraw for free. Downloading or exporting it is part of MolDraw Pro, together with the other premium templates.
Can I edit the Williamson ether synthesis template?
Yes. It opens as an ordinary MolDraw drawing, so every structure, arrow, label and colour can be changed, and you can add your own content around it.
Is the chemistry checked?
Every structure is checked with RDKit and every curly arrow passes MolDraw’s electron-flow audit. The sources used are listed on this page.
Which name reactions are included?
Over seventy, covering the reactions most often asked in school-leaving exams (A-level, IB, CBSE, JEE and NEET) and first-year university courses, including condensations, rearrangements, oxidations, reductions and aromatic substitutions.