How do you account for the formation of ethane during chlorination of methane?
Chlorination of methane proceeds via a free radical chain mechanism. The whole reaction takes place in the given three steps.
Step 1: Initiation:
The reaction begins with the homolytic cleavage of Cl- Cl bond as:
Step 2: Propagation:
In the second step, chlorine free radicals attack methane molecules and break down the C- H bond to generate methyl radicals as:
These methyl radicals react with other chlorine free radicals to form methyl chloride along with the liberation of a chlorine free radical.
Hence, methyl free radicals and chlorine free radicals set up a chain reaction. While HCl and CH3Cl are the major products formed, other higher halogenated compounds are also formed as:
Step 3: Termination:
Formation of ethane is a result of the termination of chain reactions taking place as a result of the consumption of reactants as:
Hence, by this process, ethane is obtained as a by-product of chlorination of methane.
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Welcome to the NCERT Solutions for Class 11 Chemistry - Chapter . This page offers a step-by-step solution to the specific question from Excercise 1 , Question 1: How do you account for the formation of ethane during chlorination of methane?....
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