Ethyl vinyl ether is made by reaction of acetylene and ethanol in presence of a base.

[2] Ethyl vinyl ether participates in many reactions of interest to organic synthesis.

Ethyl vinyl ether also participates in inverse demand [4+2] cycloaddition reactions.

Deprotonation with butyl lithium gives the acetyl anion equivalent: The toxicity of vinyl ethers has been heavily investigated because they have been used as inhalation anesthetics.

The acute LD50 for the closely related methyl vinyl ether is greater than 4 g/kg (rats, oral).