Chapter 4: Carbon and Its Compounds

The conversion of ethanol to ethanoic acid involves the removal of the hydrogen atom and the addition of oxygen, and it is an oxidation reaction. In the first step, a H₂ molecule is removed from ethanol to form ethanal. As the loss of hydrogen is oxidation, so the reaction is an oxidation reaction. Similarly, an oxygen atom is added to form ethanoic acid from ethanal. As the gain of oxygen is called oxidation, the reaction is an oxidation reaction.

Solution: A mixture of oxygen and ethyne is burnt for welding instead of a mixture of ethyne and air because the production of heat is very important for welding metals. When oxygen and ethyne are burnt, it burns completely and produces a higher temperature than air and ethyne. Oxygen and ethyne produce a very hot blue flame, but the mixture of air and ethyne gives out a sooty flame which means that there are unburnt particles, resulting in lesser heat.