Question

$X$ is heated with soda lime and gives ethane. $X$ is :

• A. ethanoic acid
• B. methanoic acid
• C. propanoic acid
• D. either (a) or (c)

Answer 1

Answer: (C)

Sodium salt of any carboxylic acid with hot soda lime undergo decarboxylation to form alkane which has one carbon atom less than the parent molecule.
$\underset{\text{Propanoic acid}}{C_2{H}_{5}COOH}\underset{\Delta }{\overset{NaOH/CaO}{\to }}{C}_2{H}_6\uparrow +N{a}_{2}C{O}_3$