Ethanol (C2H5OH) is a very important chemical.inaddition to being widely used as an industrial solvent,a gasolineadditive,and an alternative fuel,it is well known as the alcoholicbeverages.A common name for ethanol is grain alcohol because it isformed by the fermentation of glucose (C6H12O6) and other sugars ingrains such as corn,wheat and barley:
C6H12O6---'C2H5OH + CO2
The previous reaction has been carried out for many centuries andis one of the oldest manufacturing processes.In a more recentdevelopment,ethanol can be prepared by reacting ethylene (found inpetroleum) with water:
C2H4 +H2O ---C2H5OH
a.write the balanced equation for each of the two reactionsabove
b.Calcute the % A.E ( for the product ethanol) for the tworeactions.
c.Explain how you can determine which reaction has the higher atomeconomy without doing the calculation in part (b) above .
d.Is either method sustainable?Which one? justify youranswer.
e.Given the result from parts (b) and (d) above ,select one of thetwo methods as the better candidate overall for preparingethanol.justify your selection.
