Let's Dive into Chemistry: Fun with Organic Reactions!
What happens when chlorine reacts with methane?
a) Methanol b) Chloromethane c) Dichloromethane
Answer:
When chlorine reacts with methane, the reaction product is chloromethane (b).
When chlorine reacts with methane, a substitution reaction occurs where one of the hydrogen atoms of methane is replaced by a chlorine atom. This results in the formation of chloromethane. The reaction is a straightforward example of halogenation of an alkane, where a halogen (chlorine in this case) substitutes for a hydrogen atom.