Ethanol can be produced commercially by the hydration of
ethylene:
C2H4 + H2O -> C2H5OH
Some of the product is converted to diethyl ether in the side
reaction:
2C2H5OH -> (C2H5)2O + H2O
The feed to the reactor contains ethylene, steam, and an inert
gas. A sample of the reactor effluent gas is analyzed and found to
contain 43.3 mol% ethylene, 2.5 mol% ethanol, 0.14 mol% ether, 9.3
mol% inerts, and the balance water.
a. Take as a basis 100...