Organic synthesis
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The reaction CH3CH2OH + HBr is reversible. Why does the use of sodium bromide and concentrated sulphuric acid rather than HBr itself, help the forward reaction?
Corrie writes ...
Apart from being cheaper than using HBr itself, the sulphuric acid/NaBr mixture will have a role in shifting the equilibrium towards the products.
One of the products is water. Conc. sulphuric acid absorbs water very strongly (it is used as a drying and a dehydrating agent), so by absorbing the water from the reaction, it causes the equilibrium to move more to the right, resulting in a higher yield of bromoethane.
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updated: 17 April 2007
