i am really confused! i am doing the production of ethene from fractional distillation and i understand the whole concept of it
what i don't get is how i can write a balanced eqn to show how ethene can be produced from C14H30 (tetradecane?!)
i did
C14H30 ------> C7H14 + C7H16...but the alkene formed is not ethene...
help!!
I don't think cracking of C14H30 produces ONLY ethene. You need to know some of the other products, too. For example, you can see that it won't come out right.
C14H30==> 7C2H4 + ??
Even if no other products were formed that accounts for 14 C but nly 28 hydrogen atoms. I suppose you could put H2 for the other product; however, my reading about cracking oil and oil refineries talks about many products.
C14H30=2C2H4+C10H22
I can understand your confusion. The process you described, fractional distillation, involves separating hydrocarbon mixtures based on their boiling points. While fractional distillation can be used to isolate various fractions, including hydrocarbons like ethene, it does not chemically convert one compound into another.
To produce ethene from tetradecane (C14H30), you would need to employ a different method. One common approach is through a process called thermal cracking, which involves breaking down larger hydrocarbon molecules into smaller ones by heating them at high temperatures.
To write a balanced equation for the production of ethene from tetradecane, we need to consider the cracking of the carbon-carbon bonds in the hydrocarbon molecule. Here's an example of a balanced equation:
C14H30 → 2C2H4 + C4H10
In this equation, one molecule of tetradecane (C14H30) is cracked, resulting in the formation of two molecules of ethene (C2H4) and one molecule of butane (C4H10).
Please note that thermal cracking is a complex process that involves additional factors such as catalysts and specific reaction conditions. This simplified equation gives a general idea of the products formed.