Dehydration of ethanol with concentrated sulphuric acid at about 170 degrees Celsius gives
- A. ethane
- B. ethanoic acid
- C. ethoxyethane
- D. ethene
Explanation
At the higher temperature water is eliminated from one molecule to give the alkene, while at about 140 degrees two molecules condense instead and the product is the ether ethoxyethane. Aluminium oxide at 400 degrees achieves the same dehydration catalytically. Controlling temperature to select between two products is a recurring theme in this topic.
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