Let's Dive into Chemistry: Fun with Organic Reactions!

What happens when chlorine reacts with methane?

a) Methanol b) Chloromethane c) Dichloromethane

Answer:

When chlorine reacts with methane, the reaction product is chloromethane (b).

When chlorine reacts with methane, a substitution reaction occurs where one of the hydrogen atoms of methane is replaced by a chlorine atom. This results in the formation of chloromethane. The reaction is a straightforward example of halogenation of an alkane, where a halogen (chlorine in this case) substitutes for a hydrogen atom.