Question

How is bromoethane prepared from ethane?

Answer 1

Bromoethane is prepared from ethane through a free radical substitution using bromine. This is a classic halogenation reaction. In this process, a hydrogen atom on the ethane molecule is replaced by a bromine atom. The reaction is typically initiated by heat or ultraviolet (UV) light.

\[\ce{\underset{Ethane}{C2H6} + \underset{Bromine}{Br2} →[UV light/heat][] \underset{Bromoethane}{C2H5Br} + \underset{Hydrogen bromide}{HBr}}\]