Tetradeuteromethane
chemical compound
Tetradeuteromethane, also called tetradeuteriomethane, is a chemical compound with the chemical formula CD4 or C2H4, where D and 2H stand for deuterium. It is a colorless gas. It is a heavy analog of methane, where all four hydrogen atoms are replaced by deuterium atoms. The molar mass of deuterium is about twice the molar mass of hydrogen.
Synthesis
Tetradeuteromethane can be synthesized by the reaction of aluminium carbide powder Al4C3 with heavy water D2O.
Al4C3 + 6 D2O → 2 Al2O3 + 3 CD4
It can also be synthesized by the reaction between heavy water and carbon tetrachloride in a boiling suspension of zinc.
Properties
The relative molar flame ionization detection response for hydrocarbons does not change when hydrogen is replaced by deuterium. However, the exception is methane for which an inverse deuterium isotope effect of 3.5% is observed for tetradeuteromethane.
The molar mass of tetradeuteromethane is 20.067 g/mol, while of methane is 16.043 g/mol. The difference between molar masses is because the molar mass of deuterium is approximately twice the molar mass of hydrogen. In comparison to methane, the reaction rate of tetradeuteromethane is smaller.
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