Acetaldehyde is converted to ethane by Wolff-Kishner reduction. Acetaldehyde is treated with :

Options

A. `LiAIH_(4)`
B. `NaBH_(4)`
C. `NH_(2) NH_(2) and NaOC_(2)H_(5)`
D. `H_(2)` with `Pd//BaSO_(4)`

Answer

To convert acetaldehyde (CH3CHO) to ethane (C2H6) using the Wolff-Kishner reduction, follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Identify the Reactants**:
- The starting material is acetaldehyde (CH3CHO).
- The reagents required for the Wolff-Kishner reduction are hydrazine (N2H4) and a strong base, typically sodium ethoxide (NaOEt) or potassium hydroxide (KOH).

2. **Formation of Hydrazone**:
- Acetaldehyde reacts with hydrazine to form a hydrazone. This step involves the nucleophilic attack of hydrazine on the carbonyl carbon of acetaldehyde, resulting in the formation of a hydrazone intermediate.
- The reaction can be represented as:
\[ CH3CHO + N2H4 \rightarrow CH3CH=N-NH2 \]
- This intermediate is crucial for the subsequent reduction step.

3. **Dehydration**:
- The hydrazone undergoes dehydration (loss of water) when heated in the presence of a strong base. This step leads to the formation of a diazene intermediate.
- The reaction can be represented as:
\[ CH3CH=N-NH2 \xrightarrow{Heat} CH3C=N-NH + H2O \]

4. **Reduction**:
- The diazene intermediate is then reduced to form ethane. This reduction occurs through the action of the strong base, which facilitates the removal of nitrogen gas (N2) and leads to the formation of the hydrocarbon.
- The final reaction can be summarized as:
\[ CH3C=N-NH \xrightarrow{Strong\ Base, Heat} C2H6 + N2 \]

5. **Final Product**:
- The final product of this reaction is ethane (C2H6).

### Summary of the Reaction:
The overall reaction can be summarized as:
\[ CH3CHO \xrightarrow{N2H4, NaOEt, Heat} C2H6 \]