5.5 Ethanol Flashcards
What is the formula for ethanol?
C2H6O
How is ethanol often written?
As C2H5OH
What does OH mean?
That it is an alcohol
How is ethanol produced?
By fermentation of sugar from plants using yeast
What happens in fermentation?
The enzymes in the yeast cause the sugar to convert into ethanol and carbon dioxide. This method is used to make alcoholic drinks.
How can ethanol also be made?
By hydration of ethene
How does hydration of ethene work?
Ethene is reacted with steam at a high temperature in the presence of a catalyst. The ethene is obtained from crude oil by cracking.
What is good about producing ethanol by fermentation?
It uses a renewable resource (sugar from plants) and it is done at rule temperature
What is bad about producing ethanol from fermentation?
It can only produce a dilute aqueous solution of ethanol and the ethanol must be separated from the solution by fractional distillation to give pure ethanol
What is bad about producing ethanol from ethene (hydration)?
It uses a non-renewable resource: crude oil, and requires a high temperature for the reaction to happen
What is good about producing ethanol from hydration of ethene?
The reaction can be run continuously and produces pure ethanol
