Q.How will you convert ethyl chloride to ethane?

Converting a haloalkane to the corresponding alkane (same number of carbons, halogen replaced by hydrogen) is a reduction reaction, commonly carried out using zinc and dilute HCl, zinc-copper couple with ethanol, or catalytic hydrogenation.

Ethyl chloride, CH3CH2Cl, has one chlorine atom on a two-carbon chain. To convert it to ethane (CH3CH3), the C-Cl bond must be replaced by a C-H bond — this is achieved by reduction (addition of hydrogen / nascent hydrogen).

Common methods for this reduction:

1. Using zinc and dilute HCl (or zinc-copper couple and ethanol) as a source of nascent hydrogen:

   CH3CH2Cl + 2[H] --(Zn/dil. HCl)--> CH3CH3 + HCl

2. Catalytic hydrogenation, using hydrogen gas over a palladium or platinum catalyst:

   CH3CH2Cl + H2 --(Pd/Pt catalyst)--> CH3CH3 + HCl

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