This reaction illustrates dehydration. In chemistry, dehydration refers to the process of removing water (H2O) from a compound. Let's break down the given reaction to understand this better.
The provided chemical equation is:
C2H5OH → C2H4 + H2O
This equation indicates that ethanol (C2H5OH) is being transformed into ethylene (C2H4) with the production of water (H2O).
The process involves the breaking of bonds in ethanol and the removal of a water molecule, as follows:
The ethanol molecule, C2H5OH, has the –OH group, which combines with a hydrogen atom from the rest of the molecule to form H2O (water).
This results in the formation of C2H4 (ethylene), a smaller molecule, and the water molecule is removed.
This reaction is typically carried out under certain conditions, in this case at a high temperature of 1700°C, to facilitate the dehydration process.
Therefore, this is indeed a dehydration reaction as it involves converting ethanol into ethylene by removing water.