Question

How does ethyl alcohol react with the following? Write equations.
(i) Metallic $Na$
(ii) $C{H}_{3}COOH$
(iii) $C{H}_{3}MgI$
(iv) $Conc.H_{2}S{O}_4$ at ${170}^{\circ }C$

Answer 1

(i) Metallic Na:
Ethyl alcohol react with metallic Na to form sodium ethoxide and hydrogen gas.
$C_2{H}_5-OH+Na\to C_2{H}_5-ONa+\frac{1}{2}{H}_2\uparrow$
(ii) $C{H}_{3}COOH$:
Ethyl alcohol react with acetic acid to form ethyl acetate.
$C_2{H}_5-OH+C{H}_{3}COOH\underset{H^{+}}{\rightleftharpoons }C{H}_3-\underset{\underset{O}{||}}{C}O-C_2{H}_5+H_{2}O$
(iii) $C{H}_{3}MgI$:
Ethyl alcohol react with methyl magnesium iodide (grignard reagent) to form methane
$C_2{H}_5-OH+C{H}_{3}MgI\to C{H}_4+C_2{H}_5-OMgI$
(iv) Conc. $H_{2}S{O}_4$ at 170${}^o$C:
Ethyl alcohol react with conc. $H_{2}S{O}_4$ at 170${}^o$C to form ethylene via dehydration
$C_2{H}_5-OH\underset{{170}^{o}C}{\overset{95\%H_{2}S{O}_4}{\to }}C{H}_2=C{H}_2$