Question

Can we still prepare alkane through decarboxylation (using soda lime) if instead of using sodium salt of carboxylic acid, we use the carboxylic acid directly.

Because I have always seen the equation being written like:

CH3COONa + NaOH --(CaO)(on heating)-> CH3COOH + Na2CO3

What if instead we just used: CH3COOH + NaOH --(CaO)(on heating)-> ???

What will we get then?

Answer 1

Yes, carboxylic acids can undergo decarboxylation to produce alkanes when heated with soda lime.

Step-by-step explanation:

When carboxylic acids are heated with soda lime (calcium oxide and sodium hydroxide), they undergo decarboxylation to produce an alkane. The reaction proceeds as follows:

Carboxylic acid + CaO + NaOH → Alkane + Na2CO3 + H2O

For example, if acetic acid (CH3COOH) is heated with soda lime, it will undergo decarboxylation to produce methane (CH4):

CH3COOH + CaO + NaOH → CH4 + Na2CO3 + H2O