Hydrocarbons

• Hydrocarbons are organic compounds containing carbon and Hydrogen atoms
• Natural sources of hydrocarbons: Biogas, Natural gas, Crude oil
• Thermal cracking uses heat

  Catalytic cracking uses heat plus a catalyst
• Cracking always results in the formation of at least one alkene
• Cracking is the breaking up of larger hydrocarbon molecules into smaller ones
• Refinery Gas (C1 - C4) - used for heating and cooking
• Petrol/Gasoline (C5 - C12) - fuel for internal combustion engines e.g. cars
• Kerosene (C12 - C18) - fuel for jet engines, paraffin oil
• Diesel Oil (C18 - C25) - Fuel for diesel engines e.g bus, tains
• Lubricating oils and waxing (C20 - C34) - Fuel for factory boilers, petroleum jelly
• Bitumen/ Asphalt (> C30) - road surfacing, roofing
• Alkanes show 3 main rections- combustion, substitution, cracking
• Alkenes go through 8 reactions: combustion, addition, hydrogenation, halogenation, hydration, addition of hydrogen halide, polymerization, and oxidation
• Hydrogenation - addition of hydrogen with Ni/Pt catalyst and 200°C
• Halogenation - addition of a halogen
• Hydration - addition of water/steam with phosphoric acid/silica catalyst at 300°C and 60 atm