Is "CH4 + 2O2 → CO2 + 2H2O" possible at room conditions?
Answers:
It does NOT occur spontaneously. If it did, you wouldn't need a pilot light in your gas stove of heater! Combustion takes place by the mechanism of free radicals. And CH4 won't form any at room temperature. Once some free radicals are created (by high temp.) the reaction is self-sustaining.
Comment on the mention of Pt below: Yes they DO still do that; but they use either Pt mesh or wire. That's the way pilotless gas burners work.
yup, it'll be quite reactive.
enthalpy is -890.7KJ (favourable)
entropy -242.2 J (not so favourable)
but Gibb's Free Energy [deltaG =enthalpy -(temp in Kalvin's)x(entropy)] comes out negative at room temp. (-818.5 KJ at 25 degrees Celcius to be exact) so the reaction will take place spontaneously.
What kind of room are you in?
M : )
Reactions such as the one you are considering require a certain amount of enenrgy to initiate them. At room temperature there is insufficient energy. To reduce the amount of energy required chemists use catalysts, the most common for hydrocarbons being oxidised is platinum. So the reaction may proceed if the two gases were passed over a finely divided platinum. In days long ago the platinum was held on asbestos (called platinised asbestos) but because of the health implications around using asbestos products I doubt that this is possible now.
The answers post by the user, for information only, UKQnA.com does not guarantee the right.