mill hill county high school-a（米尔希尔县高的学校）.doc

Topic 2.10 ALCOHOLS Preparation of ethanol Ethanol as a biofuel Elimination reactions of alcohols Oxidation reactions of alcohols Tests for aldehydes ALCOHOLS Alcohols are saturated molecules containing an –OH group. The H atom in the O-H bond can hydrogen bond with other alcohol molecules and with water, which is why alcohols have relatively high boiling points and many are soluble in water. Ethanol, C2H5OH, is the most commercially important of the alcohols. In pure form it is used as a fuel and as a solvent, and in impure form is present in alcoholic drinks. The manufacture of ethanol Ethanol can be manufactured industrially in two ways – fermentation of sugars and hydration of ethene. The method used depends on the desired purity of the ethanol and the availability of the different raw materials in the country where it is manufactured. fermentation of sugars At 35 – 55 oC, sugars such as glucose can be fermented by yeast and turned into ethanol and carbon dioxide. This process must be carried out in the absence of air: C6H12O6 ( 2C2H5OH + 2CO2 This process has a number of advantages: it is a low-technology process, which means it can be used anywhere it does not use much energy it uses sugar cane as a raw material, which is a renewable resource There are, however, a few disadvantages associated with this process: it is a batch process, which means that once the reaction has finished the vessel needs to emptied before the reaction can be started again it is a relatively slow process it produces fairly impure ethanol Ethanol for human consumption is manufactured during this process. Some ethanol made in this way is also used as fuels in countries such as Brazil, which have an abundant supply of sugar cane. hydration of ethene At 300 oC and 60 atmospheres with a concentrated H3PO4 catalyst, H2O can be added to ethene to make ethanol: C2H4 + H2O ( C2H5OH This process has a number of advantages: it is a