Question

Write the reaction for the conversion of ethene to dichloroethane.

Answer 1

In a chemical reaction, the reactant reacts with a reagent molecule to produce an intermediate which is converted into final products.

The halogenation of alkene is a reaction in which a dihalide is added to a molecule after the double bond linked between Carbon $\left(\mathrm{C}\right)$ atoms has been broken.

The halogen atoms add to the Carbon atoms from both sides of the reactant molecule to give the product.

The reaction of Ethene $\left({\mathrm{C}}_2{\mathrm{H}}_4\right)$ with Chlorine $\left({\mathrm{Cl}}_2\right)$ forms 1,2-dichloroethane as the major product.

The conversion of Ethene $\left({\mathrm{C}}_2{\mathrm{H}}_4\right)$ to dichloromethane is written as:

$$\begin{gathered} {\mathrm{CH}}_2={\mathrm{CH}}_2+\mathrm{Cl}-\mathrm{Cl}\to {\mathrm{ClCH}}_2-{\mathrm{CH}}_2\mathrm{Cl} \\ \left(\mathrm{Ethene}\right)\left(\mathrm{Chlorine}\right)(1,2-\mathrm{dichloroethane}) \end{gathered}$$