Methanol is manufactured industrially by reacting carbon monoxide, CO\text{CO}CO, with hydrogen, H2\text{H}_2H2.
The reaction is reversible, exothermic, and occurs in a closed system: CO(g)+2H2(g)⇌CH3OH(g)ΔH=−91 kJ mol−1\text{CO(g)} + 2\text{H}_2\text{(g)} \rightleftharpoons \text{CH}_3\text{OH(g)} \quad \Delta H = -91\text{ kJ mol}^{-1}CO(g)+2H2(g)⇌CH3OH(g)ΔH=−91 kJ mol−1
Only 10%10\%10% of the reactants are converted into methanol at each pass through the reactor. By cooling the mixture to condense and remove the methanol as a liquid, and then recycling the unreacted gases back into the reactor, it is possible to achieve an overall 95%95\%95% conversion.
The reaction is carried out under the following conditions:
Explain why these conditions and the recycling process are chosen for methanol production, referring to reaction rates, position of equilibrium, and economic factors.
Practise OCR GCSE Chemistry Equilibria with exam-style questions for Foundation and Higher tier. 35 questions, matched to the OCR GCSE Chemistry (J248) specification and written in Paper 1 and Paper 2 (Foundation Tier) or Paper 3 and Paper 4 (Higher Tier) style. Every question includes a full worked solution and mark scheme, so you can see where marks are awarded rather than just whether you got the answer right.