fractional distillation

• crude oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons, which are long chains of hydrogen and carbon atoms
• crude oil is a fossil fuel formed by remains of organisms( plankton) which are buried in mud
• temp pressure causes the plankton to turn into crude oil and is then drilled
• oil is heated until turns to gas and enters fractioning column
• fractionuing column it hotter at the bottom and cooler at the top
• longer hydrocarbon chains are viscous and have high boiling point so condense at bottom
• shorter hydrocarbon chains are less viscous and have low boiling points so condense near top
• the fractioning column then consists of crude oil mixture separated into different factions with diff bpt
• cracking- breaking down longer hydrocarbons into smaller molecules