Sciencemadness Discussion Board
Not logged in [Login ]
Go To Bottom

Printable Version  
Author: Subject: Why make methane from acetates?
kclo4
National Hazard
****




Posts: 916
Registered: 11-12-2004
Location:
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 29-5-2005 at 12:02
Why make methane from acetates?


Well I am not sure were to ask this but

Why does every one make methane from acetates and hydroxides when it would be easier and cheaper to make it from acetone and a water-soluble hydroxide and water?




View user's profile Visit user's homepage View All Posts By User
BromicAcid
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 3227
Registered: 13-7-2003
Location: Wisconsin
Member Is Offline

Mood: Rock n' Roll

[*] posted on 29-5-2005 at 12:23


Probably because acetates are widely avalible and the decarboxylation reaction is fairly reliable and produces good quantites of methane. How does the reaction with acetone proceed exactly to produce methane, which kinds of yields?



Shamelessly plugging my attempts at writing fiction: http://www.robvincent.org
View user's profile Visit user's homepage View All Posts By User
kclo4
National Hazard
****




Posts: 916
Registered: 11-12-2004
Location:
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 29-5-2005 at 12:31


Well if you add sodium hydroxide to water then add that to acetone it bubbles about the equivalent of vinegar and baking soda so good I guess



View user's profile Visit user's homepage View All Posts By User
Polverone
Now celebrating 21 years of madness
*********




Posts: 3186
Registered: 19-5-2002
Location: The Sunny Pacific Northwest
Member Is Offline

Mood: Waiting for spring

[*] posted on 29-5-2005 at 15:02


The water and NaOH grow hot when mixed together. When combined with low-boiling acetone, the mixture boils. Mixing together strong, room-temperature NaOH solution with acetone does not show any immediate reaction. Neither does mixing acetone with dry NaOH. Both will discolor with the formation of acetone condensation products after some time (delay depending on temperature and concentration).



PGP Key and corresponding e-mail address
View user's profile Visit user's homepage View All Posts By User
kclo4
National Hazard
****




Posts: 916
Registered: 11-12-2004
Location:
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 29-5-2005 at 21:47


hmm I will test it better tomorrow why wouldn’t these work
(CH3)2CO + 2NaOH = 2CH4 + Na2CO3




View user's profile Visit user's homepage View All Posts By User
unionised
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 5104
Registered: 1-11-2003
Location: UK
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 30-5-2005 at 02:31


Why would it work?
Just because an equation balances doesn't mean the reaction happens.
In fact, a different reaction takes place producing diacetone alcohol.
View user's profile View All Posts By User
kclo4
National Hazard
****




Posts: 916
Registered: 11-12-2004
Location:
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 30-5-2005 at 09:27


Well stupid me did not think to analyze



View user's profile Visit user's homepage View All Posts By User
denatured
Hazard to Others
***




Posts: 151
Registered: 7-8-2004
Location: -
Member Is Offline

Mood: HCl 50%?

[*] posted on 14-7-2005 at 22:28


I never heard of such a reaction, i think producing Methane in a convenient way can be done by dropping water on Aluminum Carbide.

Al4C3 + 12H2O ---> 3CH4 + 4AL(OH)3




View user's profile View All Posts By User
12AX7
Post Harlot
*****




Posts: 4803
Registered: 8-3-2005
Location: oscillating
Member Is Offline

Mood: informative

[*] posted on 15-7-2005 at 06:27


You'd think so, but the last time I synthesized some Al4C3 it didn't bubble at all. I've had bad luck with CaC2, too...

However, the yellow metallic crystalline lumps have decomposed entirely to a gray pile sitting on a paper in my room here, so oxygen and/or moisture certainly do work away at it eventually.

Tim




Seven Transistor Labs LLC http://seventransistorlabs.com/
Electronic Design, from Concept to Layout.
Need engineering assistance? Drop me a message!
View user's profile Visit user's homepage View All Posts By User This user has MSN Messenger
denatured
Hazard to Others
***




Posts: 151
Registered: 7-8-2004
Location: -
Member Is Offline

Mood: HCl 50%?

[*] posted on 27-7-2005 at 10:15


I don't know what was wrong with me when i said that .... its all because of that ancient textbook.

It says "Another convenient laboratory method of preparing methane is by the action of water on aluminium carbide"
p59.Organic Chemistry - Pavlov Terentyev - MIR

Maybe it is easy way when you have cheap Al carbide but when 50 grams of it sold by 400 USD , things become ugly!

And now i may say acetate-hydroxide route is convenient ... but i am not sure(i have not tried it yet)

12AX7 did you really synthesized Al4C3 ?
as i know it needs extremely high temp. to combine carbon and Al.




View user's profile View All Posts By User
12AX7
Post Harlot
*****




Posts: 4803
Registered: 8-3-2005
Location: oscillating
Member Is Offline

Mood: informative

[*] posted on 27-7-2005 at 11:44


Ya, just arc-melt some aluminum onto some charcoal. It also sticks to the graphite arc rods, so be careful. :P

Tim




Seven Transistor Labs LLC http://seventransistorlabs.com/
Electronic Design, from Concept to Layout.
Need engineering assistance? Drop me a message!
View user's profile Visit user's homepage View All Posts By User This user has MSN Messenger
Danne123
Harmless
*




Posts: 7
Registered: 3-7-2005
Member Is Offline

Mood: Learning

[*] posted on 2-8-2005 at 05:11


Quote:
Originally posted by kclo4
Well stupid me did not think to analyze


How do you analyze if a reaction takes place or not?
We haven´t learnt it yet in the chemistry class yet...
View user's profile View All Posts By User
sparkgap
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 1234
Registered: 16-1-2005
Location: not where you think
Member Is Offline

Mood: chaotropic

[*] posted on 2-8-2005 at 05:45


Apart from actually performing the reaction :D , maybe compute its Gibbs free energy? (Google for details)

sparky (~_~)




"What's UTFSE? I keep hearing about it, but I can't be arsed to search for the answer..."
View user's profile View All Posts By User
Danne123
Harmless
*




Posts: 7
Registered: 3-7-2005
Member Is Offline

Mood: Learning

[*] posted on 2-8-2005 at 09:35


Quote:
Originally posted by sparkgap
Apart from actually performing the reaction :D , maybe compute its Gibbs free energy? (Google for details)

sparky (~_~)

You are talking about a exothermic reaction.
But there can be two types of reactions exothermic and endothermic. How do you know that it won´t be a endothermic reaction? Since we don´t know if there will be a reaction or not you can´t calculate "deltaH" or gibbs energy?
What is it called in english?
View user's profile View All Posts By User
neutrino
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 1583
Registered: 20-8-2004
Location: USA
Member Is Offline

Mood: oscillating

[*] posted on 2-8-2005 at 10:27


The gibbs equation works regardless of whether the reaction is endothermic or exothermic.

In reality, dG doesn't help you much. An equation with a negative dG won't necessarily happen with any speed at STP (like the conversion of diamond to graphite). A positive dG doesn't mean that the equation doesn't happen, either: it just means that the Keq of the equation is below 1.
View user's profile View All Posts By User
Danne123
Harmless
*




Posts: 7
Registered: 3-7-2005
Member Is Offline

Mood: Learning

[*] posted on 2-8-2005 at 11:25


Quote:
Originally posted by neutrino
The gibbs equation works regardless of whether the reaction is endothermic or exothermic.

In reality, dG doesn't help you much. An equation with a negative dG won't necessarily happen with any speed at STP (like the conversion of diamond to graphite). A positive dG doesn't mean that the equation doesn't happen, either: it just means that the Keq of the equation is below 1.


How do we know if there will be a reaction or not then? When the gibbs energy won´t help us. :(
View user's profile View All Posts By User

  Go To Top