Consider the perfectly balanced chemical equation for Darzen's preparation of ethyl chloride: . Let — Haloalkanes and Haloarenes Chemistry Question

💡 Solution & Explanation

The balanced equation is $C_2H_5OH + SOCl_2 \rightarrow C_2H_5Cl + SO_2\uparrow + HCl\uparrow$. Under standard room temperature and pressure, ethyl chloride ($C_2H_5Cl$) is a highly volatile liquid or gas depending on exact conditions (bp $\approx 12^\circ C$), but the strictly recognized gaseous byproducts driving the equilibrium are sulfur dioxide ($SO_2$) and hydrogen chloride ($HCl$). Assuming the question specifically refers to the byproducts identified as gases escaping the mixture to yield pure liquid/condensed alkyl halide, there are exactly 2 distinct gaseous molecules ($SO_2$ and $HCl$).