Chemistry, asked by naveenkolli4601, 1 year ago

Which is more reactive to sodium metal an alcohol or and alkanoic acid and why?

Answers

Answered by anitha18121
2
 a small piece of sodium is dropped into ethanol, it reacts steadily to give off bubbles of hydrogen gas and leaves a colorless solution of sodium ethoxide:

C

H

3

C

H

2

ONa

CH3CH2ONa

. The anion component is an alkoxide.

2C

H

3

C

H

2

O

H

(l)

+2N

a

(s)

→2C

H

3

C

H

2

O



(aq)

+2N

a

+

(aq)

+

H

2(g)

(1.1.1)

(1.1.1)2CH3CH2OH(l)+2Na(s)→2CH3CH2O(aq)−+2Na(aq)++H2(g)

If the solution is evaporated carefully to dryness, then sodium ethoxide (

C

H

3

C

H

2

ONa

CH3CH2ONa

) is left behind as a white solid. Although initially this appears as something new and complicated, in fact, it is exactly the same (apart from being a more gentle reaction) as the reaction between sodium and water - something you have probably known about for years.

2

H

2

O

(l)

+2N

a

(s)

→2O

H



(aq)

+2N

a

+

(aq)

+

H

2(g)

(1.1.2)

(1.1.2)2H2O(l)+2Na(s)→2OH(aq)−+2Na(aq)++H2(g)

If the solution is evaporated carefully to dryness, then the sodium hydroxide (

NaOH

NaOH

) is left behind as a white solid.

We normally, of course, write the sodium hydroxide formed as

NaOH

NaOH

rather than

HONa

HONa

- but that's the only difference. Sodium ethoxide is just like sodium hydroxide, except that the hydrogen has been replaced by an ethyl group. Sodium hydroxide contains

O

H



OH−

ions; sodium ethoxide contains

C

H

3

C

H

2

O



CH3CH2O−

ions.

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