Question

Name the process by which ethane is obtained from ethene.

Answer 1

• Ethene is an unsaturated hydrocarbon whereas ethane is a saturated hydrocarbon.
• The process of the addition of hydrogen to an unsaturated hydrocarbon to obtain a saturated hydrocarbon is known as hydrogenation.
• It takes place in presence of a nickel catalyst.
• The reaction can be given as follow:

$\underset{\mathrm{Ethene}}{{\mathrm{CH}}_2={\mathrm{CH}}_2}+\underset{Hydrogen}{H_2}\stackrel{\mathrm{Ni}}{\to }\underset{Ethane}{\mathit{}\mathit{}C{H}_3-C{H}_3}$