[Arkcon]

But I have always thought that no matter the reaction liquid is optimal because solids don't react unless it is oxidation or dissolving

This is incorrect, or at best, an issue of semantics -- so what if a solid and gas reacting is an oxidation, its still a chemical reaction.  What reaction, have you mentioned, is not ultimately reducible to a red-o reaction and explicitly excludes solid reactants?

and gases have little time to react because they move so fast.

Likewise false.  Many gaseous reactions are very important -- reacting nitrogen and hydrogen to make ammonia is a critical industrial process.  Reactions of chlorofluorocarbons with traces of ozone in the upper atmosphere are very significant.

Plus standard pressure is I think best if you want to carry this out in the liquid state

OK, I accept this premise ...

because pressure often increases temperature

Excellent, a valid application if gas laws, an important chemical concept.

if you add it and decreases if you subtract it so the reactants at low pressure, almost a vacuum will be solid but at high pressure be a gas.

This is not as good an application of the gas laws.  You have inverted the behavior of substances with low vapor pressures, and the statement is not apt for other situations.

Temp is much easier to change without affecting pressure than pressure is without affecting temp.

I'm sad to say, you are mis-applying the gas laws, which you had applied well before.  There is a proportional, reciprocal relationship between temperature and pressure.

That is why liquid at standard pressure is optimal for reactions.

Regrettably, you are not providing support for this hypothesis of yours.

As for starting the reaction liquid chlorine could just touch a methane molecule that is also liquid and grab that hydrogen and the other chlorine bonding to the methyl that is left without irradiation because liquids more often touch the right way than gases do.

Not an apt statement.

[caters]

I did not say that solids never went through chemical reactions. I said that solids go through specific chemical reactions and not others because they are so stable.

I know from doing experiments myself that higher pressure raises temp and so if you have 2 ATM of pressure and you have water in the liquid state it is going to boil faster and get to the critical point faster. Opposite is true for lower pressures. You can have -10 and 100 degree temps at the same pressure but having 90 and 90 at different pressures is significantly harder to do especially if you are changing the air pressure. However if you counteract what higher pressure does with something colder or hotter you will eventually get the temp pressure combination you want.

Also gases move so fast. That is how come any minority of chlorine in the air and methane won't really react yet if you have those 2 as liquids even if it has to be a solution they will react because halogens react uncontrollably to begin with in their liquid state whether it is 2 chlorine atoms bonded or 2 chlorine atoms split from those Cl-Cl bonds. Thus there is a chance that if you have Cl in an aqueous solution that 1 will grab hydrogen from the water and another will bond with the oxygen to take place of that hydrogen that now is attached to the chlorine.

octane + O2 -> CO2 + 8CH4 + H2

This does not involve solid reactants and is redox.

The octane is in solution, the O2, CO2, CH4, and H2 are all gases.

[Arkcon]

I did not say that solids never went through chemical reactions. I said that solids go through specific chemical reactions and not others because they are so stable.

Great.

I know from doing experiments myself that higher pressure raises temp

Correct.  And a good observation.

and so if you have 2 ATM of pressure and you have water in the liquid state it is going to boil faster

This is factually incorrect.  Higher pressure on a liquid in equilibrium with its vapor will raise the boiling point.  You are welcome to disagree or qualify your statement to rationalize your point in some way, but I can't, in good conscience, let something factually incorrect stand on these forums.  High school students come here, and I don't want them confused.

and get to the critical point faster. Opposite is true for lower pressures. You can have -10 and 100 degree temps at the same pressure but having 90 and 90 at different pressures is significantly harder to do especially if you are changing the air pressure. However if you counteract what higher pressure does with something colder or hotter you will eventually get the temp pressure combination you want.

Also gases move so fast. That is how come any minority of chlorine in the air and methane won't really react yet if you have those 2 as liquids even if it has to be a solution they will react because halogens react uncontrollably to begin with in their liquid state whether it is 2 chlorine atoms bonded or 2 chlorine atoms split from those Cl-Cl bonds. Thus there is a chance that if you have Cl in an aqueous solution that 1 will grab hydrogen from the water and another will bond with the oxygen to take place of that hydrogen that now is attached to the chlorine.

octane + O2 -> CO2 + 8CH4 + H2

This does not involve solid reactants and is redox.

The octane is in solution, the O2, CO2, CH4, and H2 are all gases.

Presumably this all means something, but I fail to see what.  I'm just letting you know that I have to challenge you on factually incorrect statements.