The maximum yield of chloromethane by the chlorination of methane is obtained by a using a considerable excess of - Chemistry - Haloalkanes and Haloarenes

Question

The maximum yield of chloromethane by the chlorination of
methane is obtained by
a using a considerable excess of methane in the reaction
mixture
b using a large excess of chlorine in the reaction mixture
c using a 1 : 1 mixture of mathane and chlorine
d carrying out the chlorination in the presence of UV light
which option is correct and why
Please explain with reaction mechanism

Priya G N · Accepted Answer

The maximum yield of chloromethane by the chlorination of methane
is obtained by

a using a considerable excess of methane in the reaction mixture
---- the correct choice

This is because the chlorination of methane (radical mechanism
involved) does not necessarily stop after one chlorination It may
actually be very hard to get a monosubstituted chloromethane
Instead di-, tri- and even tetra-chloromethanes are formed One way
to avoid this problem is to use a much higher concentration of
methane in comparison to chloride This reduces the chance of a
chlorine radical running into a chloromethane and starting the
mechanism over again to form a dichloromethane