Ethane cannot be directly prepared from ethanol. Ethanol (CH3CH2OH) is an alcohol, while ethane (CH3CH3) is an alkane. The conversion requires a process called dehydration, which removes the hydroxyl (-OH) group from ethanol.

However, the direct dehydration of ethanol will not produce ethane. Instead, it will produce ethene (C2H4), an alkene.

Here's the reaction for the dehydration of ethanol:

CH3CH2OH → CH2=CH2 + H2O

To obtain ethane from ethanol, you need a two-step process:

1. Dehydration of ethanol to ethene: This step is described above.

2. Hydrogenation of ethene to ethane: This step involves the addition of hydrogen (H2) to the double bond of ethene in the presence of a catalyst like nickel or platinum.

The reaction for the hydrogenation of ethene is:

CH2=CH2 + H2 → CH3CH3

Therefore, the overall process to prepare ethane from ethanol involves:

1. Dehydrating ethanol to ethene.

2. Hydrogenating ethene to ethane.