Question

Methane can be converted to ethane by the reaction

• A. chlorination followed by the reaction with alcoholic $KOH$
• B. chlorination followed by the reaction with aqueous $KOH$
• C. chlorinationfollowed by Wurtz reaction
• D. chlorination followed by decarboxylation.

Answer 1

Answer: (C)

The chlorination of methane is carried out by treating it with chlorine in presence of ultraviolet light or by heating the reaction mixture to $520-670K$.
$\underset{\text{ methane }}{C{H}_4}+C{l}_2\stackrel{\text{ hv or }\Delta }{⟶}\underset{\text{ methyl chloride }}{C{H}_{3}Cl}+HCl$
This methyl chloride react with metallic $Na$ in presence of dry ether to form symmetrical alkane the number of carbon atoms (ethane). This reaction is called Wurtz reaction.