Kolbe's Electrolytic Method prepares alkanes from sodium or potassium salts of carboxylic acids.

• Process: Electrolysis of an aqueous solution of the salt.
• Reaction at Anode: Acetate ion ($C{H}_{3}CO{O}^{-}$) loses an electron to form an acetate radical, which decarboxylates into a methyl radical ($C{H}_3^{.}$). Two methyl radicals combine to form Ethane ($C_2{H}_6$). $2C{H}_{3}CO{O}^{-}-2e^{-}\to 2C{H}_{3}CO{O}^{.}\to 2C{H}_3^{.}+2C{O}_2\uparrow$ $C{H}_3^{.}+C{H}_3^{.}\to C{H}_3-C{H}_3$
• Hydrogen gas is liberated at the cathode.