BRAINCAKEReaction with Water
Alkenes react with steam to form alcohols. This hydration reaction is how most industrial ethanol is made:
CH2=CH2(g) + H2O(g) ⇌ CH3CH2OH(g) ΔH = –45 kJ mol–1
Conditions: a phosphoric acid catalyst (H3PO4 on a solid silica support), a temperature of about 300 °C and a pressure of about 6 MPa (60 atm).
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Key terms in this lesson
- carbocation
- A positively charged carbon atom formed as a reactive intermediate when a bond breaks heterolytically.
More in Alkenes
- Asymmetrical Alkenes
- Reaction of Alkenes with Halogens
- Reaction with COncnetrated Sulfuric Acid
- Asymmetrical Alkenes
- Addition Polymers
- Identifying the Repeating Group
- Identifying the Monomer
- Low and High Density Polythene
All 23 lessons in Alkenes · All AQA AS-level Chemistry topics