Salt-like carbides methanides

Salt-like carbides containing individual C anions are sometimes called methanides since they yield predominantly CH4 on hydrolysis. Be2C and AI4C3 are the best-characterized examples, indicating the importance of small... 

The salt-like carbides Among these are aluminium tricarbide (methanide) A14C3 (containing essentially C4 ions) in the crystal lattice and the rather more common dicarbides containing the C2" ion, for example calcium dicarbide CaC2 these carbides are hydrolysed by water yielding methane and ethyne respectively ... 

Salt-like carbides, such as Bc2C, are sometimes called methanides because they produce methane on hydrolysis. Acetylides (methynides) are also salt-like carbides, and contain the (C=C) ions. The use of calcium carbide (calcium ethynide), CaC2, to produce acetylene (ethyne), C2H2, on treatment with water, has been superseded by production from petrochemicals. 

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