Why should 1% ethanol need to be added to chloroform Share with your friends Share 0 Shyama Charan Mandal answered this In presence of light , chloroform oxidised by the air and forms poisonous phosgene gas.(COCl2).CHCl3+12O2———>COCl2+HCl.To prevent the chloroform from turning into a dangerous phosgene gas ,small amount of ethanol is used.COCl2+C2H5OH————>(C2H5)2CO3+HCl (1%)Thats why, it also kept or stored in colored bottle to prevent it from UV light. 1 View Full Answer
