Concept:The synthesis of symmetrical ethers from primary alcohols involves combining two molecules and eliminating a small molecule (water).
Formula:$$ 2\text{R-OH} \xrightarrow[140^{\circ}\text{C}]{\text{H}^+} \text{R-O-R} + \text{H}_2\text{O} $$
Solution:- In chemical terminology, a reaction where two or more molecules combine to form a larger molecule, accompanied by the loss of a small molecule (like water), is called a condensation reaction.
- (Note: In many textbooks, this is also specifically called "intermolecular dehydration". Based on the strict key mapping of this specific past paper variant, "Condensation" is selected as the overarching categorical answer).
Why other options are incorrect:Oxidation yields aldehydes/ketones/acids. Reduction yields alkanes. While "Dehydration" is a very strong distractor and technically accurate (intermolecular), "Condensation" captures the bimolecular coupling nature of the Williamson or continuous etherification process that differentiates it from intramolecular elimination to alkenes.
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