Question

Give balanced chemical equations for the following conversions.

$\mathrm{Sodium}\mathrm{ethanoate}\stackrel{\mathrm{G}}{\to }\mathrm{Marsh}\mathrm{gas}\stackrel{{\mathrm{G}}_1}{\to }\mathrm{Methanol}\stackrel{{\mathrm{G}}_2}{\to }\mathrm{Methanal}\stackrel{{\mathrm{G}}_3}{\to }\mathrm{Methanoic}\mathrm{acid}$

Answer 1

Step 1: Conversion of Sodium ethanoate to Marsh gas:

1. Marsh gas is also known as Methane gas.
2. When Sodium ethanoate is heated with Sodium hydroxide in the presence of Calcium oxide, it results in the formation of the desired product, that is, Methane or Marsh gas and Sodium carbonate as a by-product.
3. The balanced chemical equation is represented as follows:

$$\begin{gathered} {\mathrm{CH}}_3\mathrm{COONa}\left(\mathrm{s}\right)+\mathrm{NaOH}\left(\mathrm{aq}\right)\underset{∆}{\overset{\mathrm{CaO}}{\to }}{\mathrm{CH}}_4\left(\mathrm{g}\right)+{\mathrm{Na}}_2{\mathrm{CO}}_3\left(aq\right) \\ \mathrm{Sodium}\mathrm{Sodium}\mathrm{Methane}\mathrm{Sodium} \\ \mathrm{ethanoate}\mathrm{hydroxide}\mathrm{carbonate} \end{gathered}$$

Step 2: Conversion of Marsh gas to Methanol:

1. Oxidation of Methane in the presence of Copper by maintaining temperature $200°\mathrm{C}$ and pressure 120 atm results in the formation of Methanol.
2. The balanced chemical reaction is shown as follows:

$$\begin{gathered} 2{\mathrm{CH}}_4\left(\mathrm{g}\right)+{\mathrm{O}}_2\left(\mathrm{g}\right)\underset{120\mathrm{atm}}{\overset{\mathrm{Cu},200°\mathrm{C}}{\to }}2{\mathrm{CH}}_3\mathrm{OH}\left(\mathrm{l}\right) \\ \mathrm{Methane}\mathrm{Oxygen}\mathrm{Methanol} \end{gathered}$$

Step 3: Conversion of Methanol to Methanal:

1. When Methanol is treated with Potassium permanganate in the presence of Sulfuric acid at higher temperature it oxidises to Methanal.
2. The balanced chemical reaction is shown as follows:

$$\begin{gathered} 2{\mathrm{CH}}_3\mathrm{OH}\left(\mathrm{l}\right)+{\mathrm{O}}_2\left(\mathrm{g}\right)\underset{200°\mathrm{C}}{\overset{{\mathrm{KMnO}}_4/{\mathrm{H}}_2{\mathrm{SO}}_4}{\to }}2\mathrm{HCHO}\left(\mathrm{g}\right) \\ \mathrm{Methanol}\mathrm{Oxygen}\mathrm{Methanal} \end{gathered}$$

Step 4: Conversion of Methanal to Methanoic acid:

1. When Methanal is treated with Potassium permanganate in the presence of Sulfuric acid at higher temperature it oxidises to Methanoic acid.
2. The balanced chemical reaction is shown as follows:

$$\begin{gathered} \mathrm{HCHO}\left(\mathrm{g}\right)+{\mathrm{O}}_2\left(\mathrm{g}\right)\underset{200°\mathrm{C}}{\overset{{\mathrm{KMnO}}_4/{\mathrm{H}}_2{\mathrm{SO}}_4}{\to }}\mathrm{HCOOH}\left(\mathrm{l}\right) \\ \mathrm{Methanal}\mathrm{Oxygen}\mathrm{Methanoic} \\ \mathrm{acid} \end{gathered}$$

Step 5 : The complete balanced chemical equation for each conversion is represented as follows:

$$\begin{gathered} {\mathbf{CH}}_{\mathbf{3}}\mathbf{COONa}\mathbf{}\mathbf{\left(}\mathbf{s}\mathbf{\right)}\mathbf{}\mathbf{+}\mathbf{}\mathbf{NaOH}\mathbf{}\mathbf{\left(}\mathbf{aq}\mathbf{\right)}\mathbf{}\underset{\mathbf{∆}}{\overset{\mathbf{CaO}}{\mathbf{\to }}}\mathbf{}{\mathbf{CH}}_{\mathbf{4}}\mathbf{}\mathbf{\left(}\mathbf{g}\mathbf{\right)}\mathbf{}\mathbf{+}\mathbf{}{\mathbf{Na}}_{\mathbf{2}}{\mathbf{CO}}_{\mathbf{3}}\mathbf{}\mathbf{\left(}\mathbf{aq}\mathbf{\right)} \\ \mathbf{Sodium}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{Sodium}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{Methane}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{Sodium}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{} \\ \mathbf{ethanoate}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{hydroxide}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{carbonate}\mathbf{}\mathbf{} \end{gathered}$$

$$\begin{gathered} \mathbf{2}{\mathbf{CH}}_{\mathbf{4}}\mathbf{}\mathbf{\left(}\mathbf{g}\mathbf{\right)}\mathbf{}\mathbf{+}\mathbf{}{\mathbf{O}}_{\mathbf{2}}\mathbf{}\mathbf{\left(}\mathbf{g}\mathbf{\right)}\mathbf{}\underset{\mathbf{120}\mathbf{}\mathbf{atm}}{\overset{\mathbf{Cu}\mathbf{,}\mathbf{}\mathbf{200}\mathbf{°}\mathbf{C}}{\mathbf{\to }}}\mathbf{}\mathbf{2}{\mathbf{CH}}_{\mathbf{3}}\mathbf{OH}\mathbf{}\mathbf{\left(}\mathbf{l}\mathbf{\right)} \\ \mathbf{Methane}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{Oxygen}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{Methanol} \end{gathered}$$

$$\begin{gathered} \mathbf{2}{\mathbf{CH}}_{\mathbf{3}}\mathbf{OH}\mathbf{}\mathbf{\left(}\mathbf{l}\mathbf{\right)}\mathbf{}\mathbf{+}\mathbf{}{\mathbf{O}}_{\mathbf{2}}\mathbf{}\mathbf{\left(}\mathbf{g}\mathbf{\right)}\mathbf{}\underset{\mathbf{200}\mathbf{°}\mathbf{C}}{\overset{{\mathbf{KMnO}}_{\mathbf{4}}\mathbf{/}{\mathbf{H}}_{\mathbf{2}}{\mathbf{SO}}_{\mathbf{4}}}{\mathbf{\to }}}\mathbf{}\mathbf{2}\mathbf{HCHO}\mathbf{}\mathbf{\left(}\mathbf{g}\mathbf{\right)} \\ \mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{Methanol}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{Oxygen}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{Methanal} \end{gathered}$$

$$\begin{gathered} \mathbf{}\mathbf{HCHO}\mathbf{}\mathbf{\left(}\mathbf{g}\mathbf{\right)}\mathbf{}\mathbf{+}\mathbf{}{\mathbf{O}}_{\mathbf{2}}\mathbf{}\mathbf{\left(}\mathbf{g}\mathbf{\right)}\mathbf{}\underset{\mathbf{200}\mathbf{°}\mathbf{C}}{\overset{{\mathbf{KMnO}}_{\mathbf{4}}\mathbf{/}{\mathbf{H}}_{\mathbf{2}}{\mathbf{SO}}_{\mathbf{4}}}{\mathbf{\to }}}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{HCOOH}\mathbf{}\mathbf{\left(}\mathbf{l}\mathbf{\right)} \\ \mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{Methanal}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{Methanoic} \\ \mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{acid} \end{gathered}$$

$\mathrm{Sodium}\mathrm{ethanoate}\underset{\mathbf{∆}}{\overset{\mathbf{CaO}}{\to }}\mathrm{Marsh}\mathrm{gas}\underset{\mathbf{120}\mathbf{}\mathbf{atm}}{\overset{\mathbf{Cu}\mathbf{,}\mathbf{}\mathbf{200}\mathbf{°}\mathbf{C}}{\to }}\mathrm{Methanol}\underset{\mathbf{200}\mathbf{}\mathbf{°}\mathbf{C}}{\overset{{\mathbf{KMnO}}_{\mathbf{4}}\mathbf{/}{\mathbf{H}}_{\mathbf{2}}{\mathbf{SO}}_{\mathbf{4}}}{\to }}\mathrm{Methanal}\underset{\mathbf{200}\mathbf{}\mathbf{°}\mathbf{C}}{\overset{{\mathbf{KMnO}}_{\mathbf{4}}\mathbf{/}{\mathbf{H}}_{\mathbf{2}}{\mathbf{SO}}_{\mathbf{4}}}{\to }}\mathrm{Methanoic}\mathrm{acid}$