How many moles of ethyl bromide are required to produce ‘n’ moles of butane by Wurtz synthesis ?
How many moles of ethyl bromide are required to produce ‘n’ moles of butane by Wurtz synthesis ?

1. 3n
2. n
3. 2n
4. n/2

Solution: 2n

When two moles of ethyl bromide are combined with Sodium metal in the presence of dry ether, n-butane is formed.

The reaction described above is known as the Wurtz reaction.

The reaction for the above conversion follows the equation:

2C{{H}_{3}}C{{H}_{2}}Br+2Na\xrightarrow{dry\,\,ether}C{{H}_{3}}C{{H}_{2}}C{{H}_{2}}C{{H}_{3}}+2NaBr