Ethanol can be produced by reacting ethene with steam - Edexcel - GCSE Chemistry - Question 3 - 2013 - Paper 1

Ethanol can be produced from sugar by the process of fermentation, which involves the following steps:

1. Dissolving sugar in water to create a sugar solution.
2. Adding yeast to the solution, which contains enzymes that facilitate fermentation.
3. Allowing the mixture to ferment at a temperature between 15°C and 40°C, ideally around 30°C.
4. Ensuring that the fermentation occurs in anaerobic conditions where little or no air is present.

The country focuses on fermentation for several reasons:

1. Accessibility of raw materials: The country has abundant fertile land that allows for the cultivation of sugar crops for fermentation.
2. Economic factors: As a less wealthy nation, obtaining crude oil or ethene through processes like fractional distillation may be costly. Fermentation provides a more economical way to produce ethanol.
3. Environmental considerations: Fermentation is viewed as a more sustainable and renewable approach compared to non-renewable methods involving crude oil.

The alcohols methanol (CH₃OH), ethanol (C₂H₅OH), and propanol (C₃H₇OH) belong to the same homologous series because:

1. They all contain the functional group -OH (hydroxyl group).
2. Each consecutive alcohol differs by a -CH₂- (methylene) group, indicating a consistent pattern in their molecular structure.
3. As members of the same series, they share similar chemical properties while exhibiting gradual changes in physical properties such as boiling points.