Question

How would you convert:

Ethanol into ethene.

Name the process in the given case and write the equations of the reactions involved.

Answer 1

Ethanol can be converted into ethene by the dehydration reaction.
The chemical equation for the above reaction is as follows:
CH₃-CH₂OH → CH₂=CH₂ + H₂O
When ethanol is heated with concentrated sulphuric acid at 170^oC, ethanol gets dehydrated to form ethene, an unsaturated hydrocarbon. Concentrated sulphuric acid acts as the dehydrating agent in this reaction.