Question

What happens when methane reacts with chlorine? Give equation of the reaction which takes place.

Answer 1

When methane reacts with chlorine, substitution reaction takes place. Methane reacts with chlorine in the presence of sunlight to form chloromethane and hydrogen chloride. In this reaction, chlorine substitutes hydrogen; therefore, this reaction is also known as chlorination.
The chemical equation for this reaction is

`CH_4 + Cl_2 -> CH_3 Cl + HCl`