Alkanes and Petroleum

• What is petroleum commonly referred to as?

  Crude oil
• What are alkanes primarily composed of?

  Carbon and hydrogen atoms
• What is the range of carbon atoms in alkanes?

  1 to over 50
• What does it mean for alkanes to be saturated hydrocarbons?

  They contain only single bonds between carbon atoms
• What is the process of fractional distillation used for?

  • Separates crude oil into useful fractions
  • Involves heating and cooling
  • Different fractions have different boiling points
• At what temperature is crude oil vaporized in fractional distillation?

  About 350 °C
• What happens to the largest hydrocarbons during fractional distillation?

  They do not vaporize and form residue
• How does the temperature gradient affect the separation of fractions?

  It allows fractions to condense at different temperatures
• What are the boiling points of gases in the fractionating column?

  Below 40 °C
• What are the uses of different crude oil fractions?

  • Gases: LPG, camping gas
  • Petrol: Fuel for vehicles
  • Naphtha: Petrochemical production
  • Kerosene: Jet fuel, heating
  • Gas oil: Diesel fuel
  • Mineral oil: Lubricating oil
  • Fuel oil: Power stations
  • Wax, grease: Candles, lubrication
  • Bitumen: Roofing, road surfacing
• Why is cracking used in the petroleum industry?

  To convert heavier fractions into lighter, valuable products
• What is cracking in the context of hydrocarbons?

  Breaking long-chain alkanes into smaller hydrocarbons
• What are the two types of cracking?

  1. Thermal cracking

  • High temperature (up to 1000 °C)
  • High pressure (up to 70 atm)
  • Produces alkenes

  1. Catalytic cracking

  • Uses zeolite catalyst
  • Lower temperature (about 500 °C)
  • Produces aromatic hydrocarbons
• What is the role of a catalyst in catalytic cracking?

  It speeds up the reaction and reduces costs
• What is the temperature used in catalytic cracking?

  About 500 °C
• What type of hydrocarbons does thermal cracking primarily produce?

  Alkenes
• How do thermal and catalytic cracking differ in terms of temperature and pressure?

  Thermal uses higher temperature and pressure