An industrial method of preparation of methanol is

Options

A. reacting fomaldehyde with aqueous sodium hydroxide solution
B. reducing formaldehyde with `LiAlH_(4)`
C. reacting methane with steam at `900^(@)C` with a `Ni` catalyst
D. catalytic reduction of carbon monoxide in presence of `ZnO-Cr_(2)O_(3)`

Answer

A

Explanation

At one time , most methanol was produced by the destructive distillation of wood (i.e., having wood to a high temperature in the absence of air). It was because of this method of preparation that methanol came to be called "wood alcohol" . Today, most methanol is produced by the catalytic hydrogenation of carbon monoxide. This reaction takes place under high pressure , at a temperature of `300-400^(@)C` and in the presence of `ZnO-Cr_(2)O_(3)` catalyst:
`CO + 2H_(2) underset(underset(ZNO-Cr_(2)O_(3))(200-300atm))overset(300-400^(@)C)rarr CH_(3)OH`
Note that the mixture of `CO` and `H_(2)` (synthesis gas) is produced by the action of steam on methane:
`CH_(4)+2H_(2) underset(Ni)overset(850-900^(@)C)rarrCO + 3H_(2)`