Application: Producing Ethene, Converting Ethanol to Ethene

The hydrocarbon chemistry concept outlined in Chapter 4 (Alkene Alkyne I – acid catalyzed dehydration of alcohol) extends the theory to the application in synthesizing ethene.

Ethanol, a primary alcohol, is used. It will be dehydrated with the presence of concentrated sulphuric acid, H2SO4) and at a temperature of 180°C. Ethanol gets dehydrated by eliminating water, H2O to give ethene (CH2=CH2).

The mechanism for dehydration of primary alcohol is E2 reaction.

 

However, usually, in industry, ethene is obtained through cracking crude oil, which is splitting a longer chain of hydrocarbon into two shorter chain of hydrocarbon, which are one alkane and one alkene.