Ethyl alcohol gives ethyl chloride with the help of

Options

A. `SOCl_(2)`
B. KCl
C. `Cl_(2)`
D. NaCl

Answer

To determine how ethyl alcohol (ethanol) can be converted to ethyl chloride, we can analyze the options provided in the question. Ethyl alcohol has the chemical formula CH3CH2OH.

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Identify the Reactants and Products:**
- Ethyl alcohol (C2H5OH) is the starting material.
- Ethyl chloride (C2H5Cl) is the desired product.

2. **Examine the Options:**
- The options provided are:
1. Thionyl chloride (SOCl2)
2. KCl
3. Cl2
4. NaCl

3. **Evaluate Thionyl Chloride (SOCl2):**
- Thionyl chloride is known to be an effective reagent for converting alcohols to alkyl chlorides.
- The reaction proceeds via a nucleophilic substitution mechanism where the -OH group of ethanol is replaced by a chlorine atom from thionyl chloride.
- The reaction can be represented as:
\[ \text{C2H5OH} + \text{SOCl2} \rightarrow \text{C2H5Cl} + \text{SO2} + \text{HCl} \]
- The by-products SO2 and HCl are gases and can easily escape, making this method efficient.

4. **Evaluate KCl:**
- When ethyl alcohol reacts with KCl, it does not directly yield ethyl chloride. Instead, it forms potassium ethoxide (C2H5OK) and does not lead to the formation of the desired alkyl halide.

5. **Evaluate Cl2:**
- Chlorine (Cl2) acts as an oxidizing agent and can oxidize ethanol to acetaldehyde (CH3CHO) rather than directly converting it to ethyl chloride. The reaction does not proceed to form ethyl chloride directly.

6. **Evaluate NaCl:**
- Similar to KCl, reacting ethyl alcohol with NaCl does not yield ethyl chloride. Instead, it forms sodium ethoxide (C2H5ONa) without producing the desired product.

7. **Conclusion:**
- The only option that effectively converts ethyl alcohol to ethyl chloride is thionyl chloride (SOCl2). Thus, the correct answer is:
- **Thionyl chloride (SOCl2)**

### Final Answer:
Ethyl alcohol gives ethyl chloride with the help of **Thionyl chloride (SOCl2)**.