The water gas on reacting with cobalt as a catalyst forms
Solution
<p>Water gas, also known as synthesis gas or "syngas", is a mixture of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H<sub>2</sub>). When water gas reacts with a catalyst, typically consisting of a combination of cobalt and molybdenum, it can undergo a reaction to form methanol (CH<sub>3</sub>OH).</p>
<p>This is known as the methanol synthesis reaction and can be written as:</p>
<p>$\mathrm{CO(g)} + 2\mathrm{H}_{2}(g) \rightarrow \mathrm{CH}_{3}\mathrm{OH(g)}$</p>
<p>This reaction is widely used in industry for the production of methanol, which can be used as a solvent, an antifreeze, a fuel, and as a feedstock for the production of chemicals.</p>
About this question
Subject: Chemistry · Chapter: Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers · Topic: Preparation and Properties of Alcohols
This question is part of PrepWiser's free JEE Main question bank. 37 more solved questions on Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers are available — start with the harder ones if your accuracy is >70%.