7.1 Carbon compounds as fuels + feedstock

• What is crude oil classified as?

  A finite resource
• What is crude oil primarily composed of?

  Remains of ancient biomass, mainly plankton
• What is the definition of a mixture?

  Two or more elements that are not chemically combined
• How can the substances in crude oil be separated?

  By physical methods including distillation
• What are hydrocarbons primarily made up of?

  Hydrogen and carbon
• What is the general formula for hydrocarbons?

  C_nH_2n+2
• What are the first four alkanes?

  • Methane
  • Ethane
  • Propane
  • Butane
• What happens to crude oil in a fractionating column?

  It is heated, evaporates, and condenses at different temperatures
• What is the purpose of the fractionating column?

  To separate hydrocarbons into fractions with similar carbon atom numbers
• How does the fractionating column operate?

  Heated crude oil is piped in at the bottom and rises as vapor
• What can the fractions from crude oil be processed into?

  Fuels and feedstock for the petrochemical industry
• What are some fuels produced from crude oil?

  Petrol, diesel oil, kerosene, heavy fuel oil, and liquefied petroleum gases
• What materials does the petrochemical industry produce?

  Solvents, lubricants, polymers, and detergents
• Why is there a vast array of carbon compounds?

  Due to the ability of carbon atoms to form families of similar compounds
• How do the properties of hydrocarbons depend on their molecular size?

  Properties influence their use as fuels
• What happens to the viscosity of hydrocarbons as their molecules get longer?

  The viscosity increases
• How does the boiling point of hydrocarbons change with molecular size?

  Shorter molecules have lower boiling points
• What is the relationship between molecular size and flammability of hydrocarbons?

  Shorter molecules are more flammable
• Why are hydrocarbons burned as fuel?

  To produce energy through oxidation
• What is the general reaction for burning hydrocarbons?

  Hydrocarbon → carbon dioxide + water
• What is the process of cracking hydrocarbons?

  Heating hydrocarbons to produce smaller, more useful molecules
• What are the two methods of cracking hydrocarbons?

  Catalytic cracking and steam cracking
• What is the general formula for alkenes?

  C_nH_2n
• What are the first two alkenes?

  Ethene and propene
• How do alkenes react with bromine water?

  They turn bromine water from orange to colourless
• Why are alkenes more reactive than alkanes?

  Because of the presence of a double carbon-carbon bond
• What are some uses of alkenes?

  Producing other chemicals, such as polymers
• Why are products from cracking useful as fuels?

  They have shorter chains, making them more flammable
• What must be ensured when writing equations for cracking?

  The same number of carbons and hydrogens on each side of the equation
• What is the typical outcome of a cracking reaction?

  A larger molecule is converted into usually two smaller molecules
• If you have the reaction C₆H₁₄ → C₂H₄ + ?, how do you find the missing product?

  Calculate the remaining carbons and hydrogens
• What is the missing product in the reaction C₆H₁₄ → C₂H₄ + ? if you have 4 carbons and 10 hydrogens left?

  C₄H₁₀