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How to acquire propanal from chloroethane while using only the substrate and any inorganic reagents? What's a two-step synthetic route to turn chloroethane into propanal?

I can't use the Wurtz reaction because that's an organic reagent. My current hypothesis is that it needs to be from an alkyl halide into an alkene into the carbonyl.

Since there are not enough carbons in just one chloroethane, I figure it would be three chloroethanes producing two propanals.

I don't know how to make the three chloroethanes into an alkene (if that's even a thing). The alkene would just need to undergo oxidative cleavage to produce the two propanals.

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    $\begingroup$ Welcome to ChemSE! You need to make some effort to answer the question yourself . Take a look here about homework policy. chemistry.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/141/… To get you started, think about how some of your C2 compound might become a C1 compound. 2+ 1 = 3. Get back to us if you still need help. $\endgroup$ – user55119 Jan 13 at 17:12
  • $\begingroup$ I doubt this transformation can be done without some inorganic reagent. You can of course pyrolyze chlorethane to produce ethene. But then? $\endgroup$ – Maurice Jan 13 at 22:02
  • $\begingroup$ There are inorganic reagents with one carbon atom... $\endgroup$ – Mithoron Jan 13 at 22:51
  • $\begingroup$ What is "three chloroethane" and "two propanal"? Do you mean to say 'three moles of chloroethane"? $\endgroup$ – Nilay Ghosh Jan 17 at 4:17
  • $\begingroup$ I don't know why do you need to "join" anything? I'd go by conversion of chloroethane to propanenitrile using alc. KCN followed by using SnCl2/HCl acid hydrolysis to give propanal. $\endgroup$ – Nilay Ghosh Jan 17 at 4:30

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