Williamson ether synthesis
![Ether synthesis by reaction of salicylaldehyde with chloroacetic acid and sodium hydroxide[1]](/uploads/202502/21/WilliamsonEtherSynthPhenoxyaceticacid.svg4616.png)

The Williamson ether synthesis is an organic reaction, forming an ether from an organohalide and an a deprotonated alcohol (alkoxide). This reaction was developed by Alexander Williamson in 1850. Typically it involves the reaction of an alkoxide ion with a primary alkyl halide via an SN2 reaction. This reaction is important in the history of organic chemistry because it helped prove the structure of ethers.