Question

Ethanol and sodium react with each other and produce a gas that burns in a blue flame. Identify them and mention the reaction.

Answer 1

If a small piece of sodium is dropped into ethanol, it reacts steadily to give off bubbles of hydrogen gas and leaves a colourless solution of sodium ethoxide.

$$\begin{gathered} 2{\mathrm{CH}}_3{\mathrm{CH}}_2\mathrm{OH}\left(\mathrm{l}\right)+2\mathrm{Na}\left(\mathrm{s}\right)\to 2{\mathrm{CH}}_3{\mathrm{CH}}_2\mathrm{ONa}\left(\mathrm{aq}\right)+{\mathrm{H}}_2\left(\mathrm{g}\right) \\ \mathrm{ethanol}\mathrm{sodium}\mathrm{sodium}\mathrm{ethoxide}\mathrm{hydrogen}\mathrm{gas} \end{gathered}$$

The products formed here are sodium ethoxide and hydrogen gas, the gas hydrogen formed here burns in a blue flame.