Polyethers
Polyethers are compounds with more than one ether group.
The crown ethers are examples of low-molecular weight polyethers. Some toxins produced by dinoflagellates such as brevetoxin and ciguatoxin are in a class known as cyclic or ladderpolyethers.
Polyether generally refers to polymers which contain the ether functional group in their main chain. The term glycol is reserved for low to medium range molar mass polymer when the nature of theend-group, which is usually a hydroxyl group, still matters. The term "oxide" or other terms are used for high molar mass polymer when end-groups no longer affect polymer properties.