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Topic: Ethanol to Ethane or Ethene  (Read 35837 times)

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Offline billnotgatez

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Ethanol to Ethane or Ethene
« on: October 30, 2005, 11:58:28 PM »
Could some of my fellow forum members post how they would convert ethanol to ethane or ethene?
It would be nice if the process could be done at room temperature and pressure.


Offline Alberto_Kravina

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Re:Ethanol to Ethane or Ethene
« Reply #1 on: October 31, 2005, 02:11:06 AM »
It's possible!

Take a big test tube and put some aluminium oxide (it works as a catalyst) Al2O3 in it. now add some mililiters of ethanol and heat.

    H H
    |  |
H-C-C-O-H  ------Al2O3+ Heat ---->
    |  |
    H H
                H     H
                  \     /
----------->   C=C         + H2O
                  /     \
                H     H


http://www.chemguide.co.uk/organicprops/alkenes/making.html#top
« Last Edit: October 31, 2005, 10:49:50 AM by Alberto_Kravina »

Offline billnotgatez

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Re:Ethanol to Ethane or Ethene
« Reply #2 on: November 01, 2005, 01:48:40 AM »
Thank you for the post and the link.
Any other ideas from anyone?

Offline Alberto_Kravina

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Re:Ethanol to Ethane or Ethene
« Reply #3 on: November 03, 2005, 03:51:48 PM »
Do you mean another way to make ethene from ethanol or making ethene with other methods?

Offline billnotgatez

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Re:Ethanol to Ethane or Ethene
« Reply #4 on: November 03, 2005, 07:05:37 PM »
Currently I am just interested in Ethane or Ethene from Ethanol. Is there more than one approach to this problem? The aluminum oxide procedure may lend itself to solar heat, which is intriguing.

Offline billnotgatez

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Re:Ethanol to Ethane or Ethene
« Reply #5 on: November 03, 2005, 07:21:31 PM »
It seems to me that Mike and some of the others could join the fray :)

Offline mike

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Re:Ethanol to Ethane or Ethene
« Reply #6 on: November 03, 2005, 07:32:50 PM »
hydroxyl groups are poor leaving groups so reduction of alcohols is rarely done in one step.

You could try tosylating the alcohol (OH) and then reacting with LiAlH4
There is no science without fancy, and no art without facts.

Offline mike

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Re:Ethanol to Ethane or Ethene
« Reply #7 on: November 03, 2005, 07:37:38 PM »
You could possibly dehydrate the alcohol with an acid catalyst. I am not sure how practical this is for you example, you could probably drive the equilibrium by removing product(?)


haha, I just noticed that alberto's link said the same thing :D
« Last Edit: November 03, 2005, 07:39:57 PM by mike »
There is no science without fancy, and no art without facts.

Offline Alberto_Kravina

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Re:Ethanol to Ethane or Ethene
« Reply #8 on: November 04, 2005, 01:27:09 PM »
Mabye you can make ethane just by adding sodium hydride to ethanol:

C2H6O + NaH -----> C2H6 + NaOH

Beware: You should make it in absenge of water (oh well, a total absence of water is impossible, but If you make this reaction use pure ethanol)

NaH + H2O -----> NaOH + H2(g)
« Last Edit: November 04, 2005, 02:57:37 PM by Alberto_Kravina »

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Re:Ethanol to Ethane or Ethene
« Reply #9 on: November 04, 2005, 03:59:06 PM »
interesting thing about converting ethanol to ethane is on how one would collect the ethane (-88.6C boiling point).  Not an org chem major by the way.
« Last Edit: November 04, 2005, 03:59:37 PM by GCT »

Offline Alberto_Kravina

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Re:Ethanol to Ethane or Ethene
« Reply #10 on: November 05, 2005, 04:24:38 AM »
Here is how I would collect the ethane:


http://www.chemguide.co.uk/organicprops/alkenes/making.html#top

(The picture shows how to collect ethene, but It´s the same for ethane)

Offline pantone159

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Re:Ethanol to Ethane or Ethene
« Reply #11 on: November 05, 2005, 06:14:35 PM »
That's a really good website, btw.

Offline billnotgatez

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Re:Ethanol to Ethane or Ethene
« Reply #12 on: November 05, 2005, 06:43:53 PM »
On that web site – in the diagram – they have “mineral wool soaked in ethanol”

Why?
What is mineral wool?

Offline billnotgatez

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Re:Ethanol to Ethane or Ethene
« Reply #13 on: November 05, 2005, 07:21:04 PM »
When searching on this site for tosylat – I found this entry by Movies

http://www.chemicalforums.com/index.php?board=3;action=display;threadid=850;start=msg7151#msg7151


Offline billnotgatez

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Re:Ethanol to Ethane or Ethene
« Reply #14 on: November 06, 2005, 04:30:17 PM »
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mineral_wool
After reading the above site I sort of understand what mineral wool is.
I wonder if they are using the condition version and why they are soaking mineral wool with the ethanol.

On a separate note, I think I have the alumina (aluminum oxide?) from a ceramics store, but I have to confirm the composition.


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