A chemical engineer wants to produce diethyl ether by dehydrating ethanol with concentrated H2SO4. Which temperature must be maintained to maximize ether yield?
Q1. A chemical engineer wants to produce diethyl ether by dehydrating ethanol with concentrated H2SO4. Which temperature must be maintained to maximize ether yield?
Answer: 140C
Explanation: At 140C with excess alcohol, ethanol undergoes intermolecular dehydration to form diethyl ether. At 170C, ethene would be the major product.