Question

What happens when:

Methane is mixed with steam and passed over the nickel.

Answer 1

1. Methane $\left({\mathrm{CH}}_4\right)$ is a saturated hydrocarbon and the first member of alkanes.

2. When methane is mixed with steam, compressed at $30$ atm pressure and passed over a nickel at about $800°C$ to form water gas.

${\mathrm{CH}}_4\left(\mathrm{g}\right)+{\mathrm{H}}_2\mathrm{O}\left(\mathrm{g}\right)\to \mathrm{CO}\left(\mathrm{g}\right)+3{\mathrm{H}}_2\left(\mathrm{g}\right)$

The mixture of carbon monoxide and water is popularly called water gas. It is a colorless poisonous gas that burns with an intensely hot, bluish (nearly colorless) flame.