Chloroform and Sodium

[libavius]

(Sorry for my English), but about this reaction:

 

Na + CHCl3 -> NaCl + ? + ?

 

Who knows what are the stable products that are formed in addition to NaCl?

Those who actually come from the tube! (...dichlorocarbene...if... not stable...!)

Thank you

[John Cuthber]

Probably a mixture of soot and hydrocarbons.

BTW, the reaction can explode if you aren't careful so I'd not bother finding out.

[libavius]

Thanks John

In fact, the reaction IS explosive!

I found the solution elsewhere; will produce various substances depending on conditions: soot, H2, HCl, phosgene, hexachlorobenzene, and so on.

Certainly caution! Bye

[hermanntrude]

I'd recommend more than just caution here. I'd recommend NOT DOING it. very strongly recommend.

[Tartaglia]

I do remember a PhD student "accidentally" pressing sodium wire into CHCl3 to dry it when I was postdocing in Germany. When his supervisor found out, they got a robot type thing to drop the choroform bottles out of the lab window after having cleared three or four floors of laboratories. All extremely embarassing for the people involved.

[John Cuthber]

Come to think of it, this is probably a fairly good way to synthesise a bunch of polychlorinated aromatics that you really don't want to have to deal with, even if you survive the explosion.

Please don't do this on the planet I have to live on.

Thanks

[libavius]

...please don't do this on the planet I have to live on...

 

John, (out of the Earth) I also have another similar reaction, even easier:

 

Na + CCl4 -> NaCl + C ?

 

Even here, KA-BOOM, little black smoke and some salt?

Simple but strange, however, reactions!

[hermanntrude]

libavius, please dont try these reactions. it'd be a very dumb thing to do.

[libavius]

libavius, please dont try these reactions. it'd be a very dumb thing to do.

 

Thanks for advice Hermanntrude, I know that these reactions are very "sensitive."

But my discussion is for their strangeness, not to make them into practice!