Use the following information to answer the next question.
Chloroform (CHCl3) is generally used as an anesthesia in medical treatment. It is also used in the chemical industry to produces dyes and pesticides. It is generally obtained by the action of chlorine on a hydrocarbon in the presence of sun rays.
Cl2 + X à Chloroform
If X is the hydrocarbon used for the production for chloroform, compound X is
Question 18 options:
a) methane
b) ethene
c) ethane
d) propyne
e) propane
The correct answer is c) ethane. Chloroform is produced by the action of chlorine on ethane in the presence of sun rays.
The correct answer is:
c) ethane
Chloroform (CHCl3) is obtained by the action of chlorine (Cl2) on a hydrocarbon (X) in the presence of sun rays. The balanced chemical equation for this reaction is:
Cl2 + X → CHCl3
Since CHCl3 contains one atom of carbon, one atom of hydrogen, and three atoms of chlorine, the hydrocarbon (X) used to produce chloroform must contain two carbon atoms and six hydrogen atoms. Among the given options, the hydrocarbon that fits this description is ethane (C2H6).
To answer this question, we need to look at the balanced chemical equation given:
Cl2 + X -> Chloroform
From the equation, we can deduce that X represents the hydrocarbon used for the production of chloroform.
Let's consider each of the options given:
a) methane (CH4): If we substitute methane in the equation, we get Cl2 + CH4 -> Chloroform. This is not the correct equation.
b) ethene (C2H4): If we substitute ethene in the equation, we get Cl2 + C2H4 -> Chloroform. This is not the correct equation.
c) ethane (C2H6): If we substitute ethane in the equation, we get Cl2 + C2H6 -> Chloroform. This is not the correct equation.
d) propyne (C3H4): If we substitute propyne in the equation, we get Cl2 + C3H4 -> Chloroform. This is not the correct equation.
e) propane (C3H8): If we substitute propane in the equation, we get Cl2 + C3H8 -> Chloroform. This equation matches the given balanced chemical equation. Thus, the compound X is propane.
Therefore, the correct answer is e) propane.