Ethane from ethanol decomposition

Zirconia prepared by igniting the nitrate exerts a catalytic action toward accelerating ethanol decomposition but without selective action, since the evolved gas consists of almost equal proportions of ethylene and hydrogen. It is apparently without effect in causing the hydrogenation of ethylene since Engelder obtained no ethane in the gas from the decomposition of either absolute or 50 per cent alcohol. 

Upon studying the ozone-induced oxidative conversion of methane to methanol and ethane to ethanol it has been established that these reactions do not occur in the absence of ozone which clearly suggests that the partial oxidation is initiated by the oxygen atoms generated from the ozone decomposition [75, 97],... 

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