Final answer:
Chlorination of ethane in a continuous reactor involves substituting a hydrogen atom with chlorine to form chloroethane, often requiring mild conditions and sometimes a catalyst. Importance is found in the production of polymers like PVC and PTFE.
Step-by-step explanation:
Chlorination of Ethane
When ethane is chlorinated, typically in a continuous reactor, the reaction involves the substitution of a hydrogen atom in ethane with a chlorine atom, yielding chloroethane. The chlorination of alkanes like ethane is a part of organic chemistry dealing with halogenation reactions. These reactions often occur under mild conditions, but sometimes, as in the case of hydrogenation reactions, they may require high pressures of H₂ gas and a platinum or palladium catalyst to proceed at a reasonable rate. For example, the chlorination of methane to form carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) generates HCl as a byproduct. This is an exothermic reaction where understanding the enthalpy is also significant.
During the chlorination process in a continuous reactor, chlorination can be controlled and the reaction conditions optimized to achieve the desired degree of substitution and minimize byproducts. The importance of chlorinated products like chloroethane extends to their usage in the production of polymers such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polytetrafluoroethene (PTFE or Teflon).