Methanol can be prepared commercially by:

Solution

Chemistry ma’am · 3 steps

Methanol has just one carbon, so it comes from methane, the main part of natural gas.

1. Count the carbons. Methanol, CH₃OH, has only one carbon atom. A commercial route needs a cheap one-carbon starting material, and natural gas is mostly methane, CH₄.
2. Industrial route. Methane is partially oxidised (or steam-reformed) to synthesis gas, a mixture of CO and H₂. This gas is passed over a ZnO-Cr₂O₃ catalyst at about 573 to 673 K and 200 to 300 atm.

   CO + 2H₂ →(ZnO-Cr₂O₃, 573-673 K, 200-300 atm) CH₃OH

   Option	What it actually gives
   (a) Fermentation of sugars	Ethanol, C₂H₅OH
   (b) Hydration of ethene	Ethanol, C₂H₅OH
   (c) Partial oxidation of natural gas	Methanol, via CO + 2H₂
   (d) RMgX + HCHO	RCH₂OH, at least two carbons, and only a lab method

3. So. Only (c) is a large-scale route to methanol: natural gas is partially oxidised, and the products are then turned into CH₃OH.

The idea to keep. For industrial alcohols, match the carbon count to a cheap feedstock. One carbon means methane or syngas (CO + 2H₂). Two carbons means ethene hydration or fermentation.

Answer from the NTA final answer key. Solution by PrepWiser.