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Glam Journal

Does light affect methane reacting with chlorine?

Author

Matthew Shields

Updated on March 01, 2026

Does light affect methane reacting with chlorine?

Alkanes undergo a substitution reaction with halogens in the presence of light. For instance, in ultraviolet light , methane reacts with halogen molecules such as chlorine and bromine. This reaction is a substitution reaction because one of the hydrogen atoms from the methane is replaced by a bromine atom.

How is chlorination of methane carried out with free radicals?

chain propagation (two steps): a hydrogen atom is pulled off from methane leaving a primary methyl radical. The methyl radical then pulls a Cl• from Cl2. This results in the desired product plus another chlorine radical. This radical will then go on to take part in another propagation reaction causing a chain reaction.

What happens when methane reacts with chlorine under diffused sunlight?

When methane reacts with chlorine in presence of diffused sunlight to produce compounds containing chlorine then this reaction is called chlorination of methane. Methane is a colourless and odourless gas. It is also known as marsh gas. It is produced during coal and natural gas production.

Why chlorination of methane is not possible in dark?

Hint: Chlorination of methane is a free radical substitution reaction. Chlorine is not able to convert into free radicals in the dark, so the reaction doesn’t happen.

What happens when methane undergoes chlorination?

If a mixture of methane and chlorine is exposed to a flame, it explodes – producing carbon and hydrogen chloride.

How does methane react with chlorine?

When methane reacts with chlorine a substitution reaction occurs and the organic product is chloromethane. CH4+Cl2→CH3Cl+HCl. But the reaction doesn’t stop there, and further reactions go on where all the hydrogens in the methane get replaced by chlorine atoms.

How does chlorination of methane occur?

If a mixture of methane and chlorine is exposed to a flame, it explodes – producing carbon and hydrogen chloride. The reaction we are going to explore is a more gentle one between methane and chlorine in the presence of ultraviolet light – typically sunlight. …

Which two of the following are the propagation steps in the free radical chlorination of methane shown above?

Explain your reasoning. The carbon-chlorine bond of (CH3)3CCl has the smaller bond dissociation energy. The carbon radical that results upon bond cleavage is a tertiary radical.

When chlorine gas reacts with methane the product formed is?

When chlorine gas reacts with methane, Which of the product is formed? Explanation: Under the influence of UV light or with a temperature of 250-400(degree) chlorine and methane react vigorously to give hydrogen chloride and chloromethane (CH3Cl).

What is the tri substituted product of chlorination of methane?

During the substitution reaction the hydrogen atoms of methane are substituted with chlorine atoms, the by-product is hydrogen chloride.

What is chlorination of methane?

If a mixture of methane and chlorine is exposed to a flame, it explodes – producing carbon and hydrogen chloride. The reaction we are going to explore is a more gentle one between methane and chlorine in the presence of ultraviolet light – typically sunlight.

How do you account for chlorination of methane?

Chlorination of methane proceeds via a free radical chain mechanism. The whole reaction takes place in the given three steps. These methyl radicals react with other chlorine free radicals to form methyl chloride along with the liberation of a chlorine free radical.

What happens when methane and chlorine are exposed to sunlight?

If a mixture of methane and chlorine is exposed to a flame, it explodes – producing carbon and hydrogen chloride. This is not a very useful reaction! The reaction we are going to explore is a more gentle one between methane and chlorine in the presence of ultraviolet light – typically sunlight.

Why is the formation of dichloromethane reduced by free radical chlorination?

And that is why the formation of dichloromethane is substantially reduced. Free radical chlorination of higher alkanes proceeds by radical chain mechanism analogous to the one observed for methane. A C-atom with at least hydrogen atoms will be substituted.

What is the ratio of reactivity of methine in radical chlorination?

Note that in radical chlorination reactions, the reactivity of methine, methylene and methyl hydrogens decreases in the ratio of approximately 5 : 3.5 : 1. This will aid in the prediction of expected products from the monochlorination of a given alkane.

Is the chlorination of methane endothermic or exothermic?

Since, the ΔH for the chlorination of methane is negative, the reaction is exothermic. Energetically this reaction is favorable. In order to better understand this reaction we need to look at the mechanism ( a detailed step by step look at the reaction showing how it occurs) by which the reaction occurs.