Why are ethers useful solvents for many organic compounds?

Ethers are highly effective solvents for a wide variety of organic compounds primarily because they are relatively unreactive. Their utility as solvents is supported by several key chemical properties:1

• Hydrogen Bonding: While ether molecules cannot engage in hydrogen bonding with one another, they possess nonbonding electron pairs on their oxygen atoms. This allows them to form hydrogen bonds with other molecules that contain O–H or N–H bonds, making them excellent solvents for many organic and inorganic compounds.1
• Chemical Stability: Ethers are generally unreactive, which allows them to serve as inert media for extractions and various chemical reactions.1
• Polarity and Electron Pairs: Ethers are strongly polar and contain nonbonding electron pairs, which help stabilize various reagents, such as Grignard reagents and electron-deficient species like borane.1

Additionally, specialized cyclic polyethers known as crown ethers can be used to make many inorganic salts soluble in nonpolar organic solvents by complexing the metal cations, which in turn pulls the associated anions into the solution.1