Chapter 20, Problem 20.70E

(a) Suggest a mechanism for the bromination of ethane:

${\text{Br}}_2+{\text{CH}}_{\text{3}}{\text{CH}}_{\text{3}}\to {\text{CH}}_{\text{3}}{\text{CH}}_{\text{2}}\text{Br}+\text{HBr}$

(b) Would you expect that this reaction might go faster or slower than the chlorination of methane? (Hint: Consider the strengths of the bonds involved in the initial steps of the mechanism.)