Modelling Dehydration and Hydration

Production of Materials‎ > ‎3. Renewable Ethanol‎ >

Process information from secondary sources such as molecular model kits, digital technologies or computer simulations to model:

  • the addition of water to ethylene
  • the dehydration of ethanol
  • The hydration of ethylene can be modelled by the following process:
    • Use molecular model kits to construct an ethylene molecule, a sulfuric acid molecule and a water molecule.
    • Break open the double bond of the ethylene molecule and add a hydrogen atom from the sulfuric acid to one carbon atom, and the HSO4 group to the other carbon atom, forming the molecule CH3CH2HSO4.
    • Break the water molecule into a hydroxy group and a hydrogen atom.
    • Replace the HSO4 group in the CH3CH2HSO4 molecule with the hydroxy group.
    • Combine the HSO4 group with the hydrogen atom from the water to reform the sulfuric acid molecule.
  • The dehydration of ethanol can be modelled by simply reversing the above process