Final answer:
Methanol is primarily produced industrially by the hydrogenation of carbon monoxide, not by the reaction of ethane with chlorine. The production from ethane involves conversion to ethylene and subsequent reactions, while direct halogenation typically refers to reactions like methane's conversion to carbon tetrachloride.
Step-by-step explanation:
Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol, is primarily produced industrially by the hydrogenation of carbon monoxide. The synthetic production of methanol from ethane involves several steps and is not typically done by the direct reaction of ethane with chlorine. In the industrial process, methanol is synthesized through a reaction involving carbon monoxide and hydrogen which occurs at high temperature and pressure in the presence of a suitable catalyst. A common catalyst used for this process is a mixture of zinc oxide and chromium oxide.
Methanol production from ethane typically involves the conversion of ethane to ethylene, followed by oxychlorination and hydrochlorination to form vinyl chloride, which is then polymerized to produce PVC or further processed to produce ethylene dichloride (EDC). This is distinct from the direct halogenation of alkanes, for instance, when methane reacts with elemental chlorine to produce carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) and hydrochloric acid (HCl).