Enol ether

Akin to enamines, enol ethers are electron-rich alkenes by virtue of the electron-donation from the heteroatom via pi-bonding.

By virtue of their bonding situation, enol ethers display distinctive reactivity.

In comparison with simple alkenes, enol ethers exhibit enhanced susceptibility to attack by electrophiles such as Bronsted acids.

[2] The reactivity of enol ethers is highly dependent on the presence of substituents alpha to oxygen.

The acid-catalyzed addition of hydrogen peroxide to vinyl ethers gives the hydroperoxide:[5] Nazi Germany used vinyl ether mixtures as rocket propellants during WWII, because their hypergolic combustion with a mixture of nitric and sulfuric acids is relatively insensitive to temperature.