Sodium salt of which acid will be needed for the preparation of propane? Write chemical equation for the reaction.
The sodium salt of butanoic acid will be needed for the preparation of propane.
The chemical equation for the reaction is:
In this decarboxylation reaction, sodium butanoate is heated with soda lime (a mixture of NaOH and CaO) to yield propane and sodium carbonate.
Explanation
The preparation of alkanes from carboxylic acids involves heating their sodium salts with soda lime. This eliminates a carbon dioxide molecule, resulting in an alkane with one less carbon atom. To obtain propane (3 carbons), butanoic acid (4 carbons) must be used.
Solution Steps
Step 1: Identify the target alkane, which is propane (3 carbon atoms).
Step 2: Since decarboxylation removes one carbon atom, the required carboxylic acid must have 4 carbon atoms, which is butanoic acid.
Step 3: Write the reaction of sodium butanoate with NaOH and CaO to form propane and sodium carbonate.