Cracking

• Cracking is a reaction in which larger saturated hydrocarbon molecules are broken down into smaller, more useful hydrocarbon molecules.
• • Catalytic cracking uses a temperature of approximately 550°C and a catalyst known as a zeolite which contains aluminium oxide and silicon oxide
• • Steam cracking uses a higher temperature of over 800°C and no catalyst
• Cracking is important for two main reasons:

  1. It helps to match the supply of fractions with the demand for them.
  2. It produces alkenes, which are useful as feedstock for the petrochemical industry.
• • alkenes are unsaturated, they contain at least one C=C double bond
• alkenes are more reactive than alkanes. Alkenes can take part in reactions that alkanes cannot.