- Crude Oil -

• Hydrocarbons are compounds that contain hydrogen and carbon atoms only
• Crude oil is a natural resource that is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons
• The carbon atoms in crude oil molecules are joined together in chains and rings
• Crude oil is a finite resource that forms extremely slowly over millions of years and cannot quickly be replaced
• Crude oil is an important source of fuels
• Crude oil is an important source of feedstock for the petrochemical industry
• A feedstock is a raw material used to provide reactants for an industrial reaction
• A petrochemical is a substance made from crude oil using chemical reactions
• For example, ethene is produced from crude oil and used as feedstock to make poly(ethene), a polymer
• Fuels obtained from crude oil or natural gas are called fossil fuels
• Fossil fuels include:

  • Petrol, kerosene, and diesel oil from crude oil
  • Methane from natural gas
• Fossil fuels are non-renewable, meaning they are being used up faster than they are being formed
• If we continue using fossil fuels at the current rate, they will eventually run out