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Gas Clathrate Hydrates Experiment for High School Projects and Undergraduate Laboratories

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Melissa P. Prado , Annie Pham , Robert E. Ferazzi , Kimberly Edwards and Kenneth C. Janda

Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697

J. Chem. Educ., 2007, 84 (11), p 1790

DOI: 10.1021/ed084p1790

Publication Date (Web): November 1, 2007

Section:

History, Education, and Documentation

Abstract

We present a laboratory procedure, suitable for high school and undergraduate students, for preparing and studying propane clathrate hydrate. Because of their gas storage potential and large natural deposits, gas clathrate hydrates may have economic importance both as an energy source and a transportation medium. Similar to pure ice, the gas hydrate structure consists of a lattice of water molecules held together by hydrogen bonds. However, the gas hydrate lattice is more complex than that of ice: "host" cages are formed in which the "guest" molecules are trapped. Despite the fact that the gas hydrate lattice is less stable than the ice lattice, the van der Waals forces between the guest molecules and the host lattice stabilizes the overall structure. Propane clathrate hydrate is an especially interesting example because the solid is a mixture of two chemicals that are immiscible in the liquid state yet it has a higher melting point than that of pure water ice. A simple procedure is outlined for students to synthesize and study propane hydrate. This experiment introduces students to this unusual solid, while stimulating a discussion of the interplay of intermolecular forces, thermodynamics, and solid structure.

Keywords (Audience):

First-Year Undergraduate / General

Keywords (Domain):

Chemical Engineering

Keywords (Pedagogy):

Hands-On Learning / Manipulatives

Keywords (Subject):

Alkanes / Cycloalkanes

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This article has been cited by 3 ACS Journal articles (3 most recent appear below).

Spectroscopic Identification of Water−Propane Interaction: Implications for Clathrate Nucleation
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  Propane is one of several hydrocarbons known to form a clathrate hydrate. To probe interactions leading to clathrate nucleation, the water−propane interaction is investigated in carbon tetrachloride with infrared spectroscopy. Isotopic substitution ...
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Propane Clathrate Hydrate Formation Accelerated by Xenon
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The Journal of Physical Chemistry C2009 113 (11), 4717-4720
- Propane Clathrate Hydrate Formation Accelerated by Xenon
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  The Journal of Physical Chemistry C2009 113 (11), 4717-4720
  Experiments are reported that show propane is incorporated into clathrate hydrate cages much more rapidly using propane−xenon mixtures than for pure propane gas. Uptake rates for pure propane type II clathrate hydrate, pure xenon type I clathrate hydrate, ...
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