Final answer:
Hydrolysis of an ether in the presence of H2O and H3O+ under heat results in the cleavage of the ether, producing its corresponding alcohols. The acidic environment protonates the ether, which then undergoes substitution and cleavage to form alcohols.
Step-by-step explanation:
When an ether is treated with H2O, H3O+ in the presence of heat, hydrolysis occurs, leading to the cleavage of the ether bond. This reaction typically converts the ether into its corresponding alcohols. The acidic environment provided by the hydronium ion (H3O+) facilitates the protonation of the ether oxygen, making it more susceptible to attack by water. Subsequently, one alcohol is formed via a direct substitution, while the other is often formed through the departure of a leaving group and a subsequent water attack.
Ethers are generally stable compounds, but under acidic conditions and heat, they can be converted back to their alcohol counterparts. This process is the reverse of the dehydration of alcohols, where two alcohol molecules lose water to form an ether. Therefore, the presence of hydronium ions under heat provides the right conditions for this reverse reaction to take place, converting ethers to alcohols.