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There are several stages in the industrial production of methanol from methane - AQA - A-Level Chemistry - Question 9 - 2017 - Paper 1
Question 9
There are several stages in the industrial production of methanol from methane. The first stage involves a gaseous equilibrium between the reactants (methane and st... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:There are several stages in the industrial production of methanol from methane - AQA - A-Level Chemistry - Question 9 - 2017 - Paper 1
Step 1
Stage 1: Deductions from graph
Answer
From Figure 1, as the temperature increases, the percentage conversion of methane increases. This indicates that the reaction is endothermic, meaning heat is required for the conversion of reactants to products.
From Figure 2, we see that the percentage conversion of methane decreases as pressure increases. This implies that the reaction favors lower pressures, as increasing pressure shifts the equilibrium towards the side with more moles of gas.
Step 2
Step 3
Stage 3: Optimum pressure and explanation
Answer
The optimum pressure for the reaction should be moderate, around 1000-2000 kPa, since higher pressure could reduce the percentage conversion due to the increased number of gaseous moles on the reactant side. This ensures a balanced approach for equilibrium.