Question

Write the final product in the following reaction:
${{(C{{H}_{3}}COO)}_{2}}Ca+{{(HCOO)}_{2}}Ca\xrightarrow{\Delta }$

Answer 1

Hint: Dry distillation of calcium acetate alone gives off acetone and dry distillation of calcium formate alone gives off formaldehyde. So dry distillation of calcium acetate and calcium formate mixture is going to give us a product almost in a similar class of formaldehyde and acetone but different.

Complete answer:
Calcium acetate is the salt of acetic acid and it can be prepared by dissolving calcium carbonate in acetic acid. It is a white, hygroscopic solid with a smell like vinegar. Calcium acetate is used to control high blood levels of phosphorus in people with kidney disease who are on dialysis (medical treatment to clean the blood when the kidneys are not working properly). It is also used as a food additive and as a buffer.
Calcium formate is the salt of formic acid and it can be prepared by dissolving calcium carbonate in formic acid. Calcium Formate is an odourless, free-flowing white crystalline solid. It is a convenient source of calcium and formate ions for aqueous solutions. It is used as cement additive, in the leather industry and also as a de-icing agent. On heating the calcium acetate along with calcium formate, acetaldehyde forms along with calcium carbonate.
${{(C{{H}_{3}}COO)}_{2}}Ca+{{(HCOO)}_{2}}Ca\xrightarrow{\Delta }2C{{H}_{3}}CHO+CaC{{O}_{3}}$

So the final product formed over here is acetaldehyde.

Additional information: Acetaldehyde is carcinogenic and mutagenic produced in the human body by alcohol drinkers and found in the mouth of smokers.

Note: Acetaldehyde is a flammable, colorless liquid with pungent odor. Green plants produce it as they break down their food and it is also found naturally in ripe fruit, coffee and bread. Formaldehyde is a flammable, colorless gas at room temperature and has a pungent, suffocating odor. When burning natural gas, kerosene, gasoline, wood, or tobacco, formaldehyde is produced. Automobile exhaust is a common source of formaldehyde in our environment.