Which of the following gas is evolved when ethanol reacts with sodium  

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Bihar STET TGT (Science) Official Paper-I (Held On: 08 Sept, 2023 Shift 1)
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  1. CO2 
  2. H2
  3. O2
  4. N2

Answer (Detailed Solution Below)

Option 2 : H2
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Detailed Solution

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Explanation:-

  • Ethanol belongs to the class of compounds known as alcohols. Its chemical formula is CH3CH2OH, indicating it has two carbon atoms, six hydrogen atoms, and a hydroxyl group (-OH).
  • When sodium reacts with an alcohol like ethanol, it tends to donate this electron to the oxygen atom in the hydroxyl (-OH) group of the alcohol. This electron donation leads to the formation of a bond between the sodium and the oxygen atom of the alcohol, creating a compound called an alkoxide (in this case, sodium ethoxide).
  • The specific reaction between ethanol and sodium can be represented as:
  • 2CH3CH2OH + 2Na --> 2CH3CH2ONa + H2
  • In this balanced chemical equation, two molecules of ethanol (CH3CH2OH) react with two atoms of sodium (Na), forming two molecules of sodium ethoxide (CH3CH2ONa) and one molecule of hydrogen gas (H2).
  • Hydrogen gas is the byproduct of this reaction and is released as bubbles if the reaction occurs in a liquid medium.
  • This reaction is a type of oxidation-reduction (redox) reaction. Here, sodium gets oxidized (loses an electron), and the hydrogen in the alcohol's hydroxyl group gets reduced (gains an electron) forming hydrogen gas.

Conclusion:-

When ethanol reacts with sodium, the gas evolved is hydrogen (H2), not carbon dioxide (CO2), oxygen (O2), or nitrogen (N2).

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