In the presence of ultraviolet light, ethane and chlorine react to give a mixture of products. What are the products of this reaction?

The reaction that is occuring is a substitution reaction as ethan is already a saturated molecule. The ultraviolet light provides the energy needed to break the bonds between hydrogen and carbon in ethane so that the chlorine atoms can replace the hydrogen ones.

Ethane's chemical formula is CH3CH​3 ​and since chlorine is a diatomic gas, its formula is Cl2

The equation representing this reaction is therefore:

CH​3CH​3 +Cl​2 ->CH2​ClCH2Cl+H​2

So the products of the reation are 1,2-dichloro ethane and hydrogen gas

Answered by Sarah W. Chemistry tutor

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