Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Why make methane from acetates?

kclo4 - 29-5-2005 at 12:02

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?

BromicAcid - 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?

kclo4 - 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

Polverone - 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).

kclo4 - 29-5-2005 at 21:47

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

unionised - 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.

kclo4 - 30-5-2005 at 09:27

Well stupid me did not think to analyze

denatured - 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

12AX7 - 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

denatured - 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.

12AX7 - 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

Danne123 - 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...

sparkgap - 2-8-2005 at 05:45

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

sparky (~_~)

Danne123 - 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?

neutrino - 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.

Danne123 - 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. :(