Synthesis of 1,4-Dioxane Using the Acid-Catalyzed Condensation of an Alcohol

The Acid-Catalyzed Reduction of Alcohol is used to synthesize 1,4-Dioxane

An acid-catalyzed reaction of alcohol can lead to the formation of 1,4-dioxane (a cyclic alcohol). Specifically, an ether is formed when two alcohol molecules react with one another in the presence an acid catalyst. Cronin, 2017, states that acid-catalyzed alcohol condensation produces a dehydration reaction which results in an ether product. As a catalyst for this reaction, sulfuric acid is (H2SO4) used most often (Khan 2018).
Here’s how to react an alcohol and an acid catalyst to create 1,4-dioxane:
2R-OH + H2SO4 ? R-O-R + H2O
R-OH represents the alcohol reactant in this equation and R-O–R the ether product. Reversible means that both alcohol and ether can be found in equilibrium.