Oxidation of Ethene or Ethylene(CH2=CH2)

Solution:

Today we will talk about the oxidation of ethene.


In ethene, the oxidation number of every carbon is -2.

When we apply mild oxidising conditions to ethene,we get ethane-1,2-diol.

In mild oxidising conditions, the oxidising agent is kept cold at room temperature.

For mild oxidation of ethene,we use alkaline solution of KMnO4 (potassium permanganate).

Oxidation of Ethene (CH2=CH2)

In the above reaction, ethene has lost electrons,so ethene has oxidized.Look at the change of oxidation number from -2 to -1.


When we apply strong oxidizing conditions to ethene using hot and concentrated potassium permanganate solution,we get carbon dioxide and water.

The production of CO₂ and H₂O from strong oxidation of ethene is given below.

In the above reaction, ethene has lost electrons,so ethene has oxidized.Look at the change of oxidation number from -2 to +4.