Organic chemistry Flashcards
(31 cards)
How was crude oil formed?
-Formed over millions of years ago from the fossilised remains of plankton
Where is crude oil found?
Found in porous rocks in earths crust
Crude oil is:
A finite resource that is used to produce fuse and other chemicals
What are most of the compounds in crude oil?
Hydrocarbons
hydrocarbons
Molecules made of only carbon and hydrogen atoms
hydrocarbons….
Vary in size…
-Affects their properties and how they can be used as fuels
The larger the hydrocarbon:
- more viscous it is
- higher boiling point
- less volatile it is
- less flammable
fractional distillation
Separating crude oil into different fractions
What do the fractions contain?
Each Fraction contains hydrocarbon molecules with a similar number of carbon atoms
Most hydrocarbons obtained are…
alkanes
Fractional distillation process:
- Crude oil is heated until evaporated
- Vapour moves up fractioning column
- Top is cooler than the bottom
What happens to shorter hydrocarbons in fractional distillation?
Shorter hydrocarbons reach the top before they condense and are collected
What happens to the longer hydrocarbons in fractional distillation?
longer hydrocarbons condense at higher temperatures and are collected lower down
alkanes are
Saturated hydrocarbons
alkane general formula:
CnH2n+2
methane
1 carbon
4 hydrogen
ethane
2 carbon
6 hydrogen
propane
3 carbon
8 hydrogen
most fuels=
compounds of carbon + hydrogen
many contain sulfur
during combustion:
- carbon and hydrogen are oxidised
- energy is released
- waste products are produced + released into the atmosphere
what happens if combustion is not complete?
carbon monoxide, unburnt fuels + solid particles containing soot may be released
cracking
the process of turning longer chain hydrocarbon into shorter ones
two methods of cracking hydrocarbons
- steam
- catalytic
steam cracking:
- hydrocarbon are mixed with steam
- heated to 850°C