Topic 8 - Fuels And Earth Science Flashcards
(90 cards)
1
Q
What type of resource is crude oil ?
A
Crude oil is a non-renewable (finite) resource
2
Q
What are hydrocarbons ?
A
Hydrocarbons are molecules made up of only hydrogen and carbon atoms.
3
Q
Does a hydrocarbons size change its properties ?
A
Hydrocarbons differ in their size, which can change the properties of the hydrocarbon.
4
Q
Where is crude oil found ?
A
In rocks
fossilised remnants of ancient plankton.
5
Q
What are crude oils used to produce?
A
Fuels and other important chemicals
6
Q
What are crude oils a mixture of ?
A
Crude oil is a mixture of lots of different compounds that are not chemically combined.
7
Q
What are most the compounds in crude oil ?
A
Most of the compounds in crude oil are hydrocarbons
8
Q
What are crude oils formed from ?
A
Crude oil is made from the fossilised remnants of ancient plankton.
9
Q
What process is used when separating crude oil into groups of hydrocarbons with similar numbers of carbon atoms ?
We call these groups of hydrocarbons “fractions”.
A
Fractional distillation
10
Q
What are short changed hydrocarbons?
A
Hydrocarbons with few carbon atoms
11
Q
What are long chained hydrocarbons ?
A
Hydrocarbons with lots of carbon atoms
12
Q
Do Different-sized hydrocarbons have different boiling points ?
A
Yes
13
Q
How does Fractional distillation separate hydrocarbons ?
A
uses their different boiling points
14
Q
What are the steps when separating crude oils using fractional distillation?
A
Evaporation
Condensation
Collection
15
Q
What happens during the evaporation stage in fractional distillation of crude oil ?
A
We evaporate the crude oil by heating it.
Crude oil vapour is put into a fractionating column at the bottom and rises upwards.
16
Q
What happens during the condensation stage in fractional distillation of crude oil ?
A
The temperature is highest at the bottom of the column. Long-chain hydrocarbons condense at the bottom and are collected as liquids.
Short-chain hydrocarbons have lower boiling points. They pass up the column and condense at lower temperatures nearer the top
17
Q
What happens during the collection stage in fractional distillation of crude oil ?
A
The fractions are collected. They are then processed to create end products:
Fuels (e.g. petrol, diesel) are a common end product.
The petrochemical industry can use some fractions as feedstock (material used in an industrial process) to make products such as solvents, detergents, lubricants etc.
18
Q
What are the fractions of crude oil ?
A
Gases Petrol Kerosene Diesel oil Fuel oil Bitumen
19
Q
What is the fraction of crude oil bitumen used for ?
A
Surfacing roads and roofs
20
Q
What is the fraction of crude oil, fuel oil used for ?
A
Fuel for ships and power stations
21
Q
What is the fraction of crude oil, diesel oil used for ?
A
Fuel for some cars and trains
22
Q
What is the fraction of crude oil, kerosene used for ?
A
Fuel for aircrafts
23
Q
What is the fraction of crude oil, gases used for ?
A
Domestic heating and cooking
24
Q
What is the fraction of crude oil, petrol used for ?
A
Fuel for cars
25
What is the homologous series ?
is a series of compounds with the same general formula
26
What are the properties of the homologous series ?
Same genral formula - Neighbouring compounds differ by a CH2 unit
Similar chemical properties
Physical properties can change
27
A hydrocarbon's size affects what ?
its properties
28
A hydrocarbon's properties affect what ?
how useful it is as a fuel
29
What are the main properties of hydrocarbons ?
Viscosity - Hydrocarbons with longer chains have higher viscosity (i.e. they are thicker and flow less easily).
Boiling point - Hydrocarbons with longer chains have higher boiling points.
Flammability - Hydrocarbons with longer chains are less flammable.
30
What is cracking ?
Cracking is the process that breaks down long-chain hydrocarbons into shorter-chain molecules that are more useful
31
Cracking is an example of what type of reaction ?
a thermal decomposition reaction.
32
What are the two ways cracking can be done ?
Steam cracking
| Catalytic cracking
33
What happens in steam cracking ?
Vapourised heavy hydrocarbons are mixed with steam in a high temperature environment.
The products include alkanes and alkenes.
E.g. decane → octane + ethene
34
What happens in catalytic cracking ?
Vapourised heavy hydrocarbons are passed over the top of a heated catalyst.
Alkanes and alkenes are produced by this reaction.
E.g. hexane → butane + ethene
35
What are the products of cracking ?
Alkanes
| Alkenes
36
The equations for the combustion (burning) of hydrocarbons on what ?
depend on the amount of oxygen that is available.
37
What are the problems with the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons ?
As well as producing carbon monoxide, incomplete combustion produces soot.
Soot can build up in appliances and cause problems.
This happens in cars and any items that use carbon compounds as fuel
38
What happens when you burn hydrocarbons with plenty of oxygen ?
Energy release.
| The oxidation of carbon and hydrogen to create carbon dioxide and water.
39
What happens when you burn hydrocarbons without enough oxygen ?
If alkanes are burned without enough oxygen, then carbon monoxide can be created:
2C + O2 → 2CO
Carbon monoxide is a gas with the following properties:
Colourless
Toxic
Odourless
40
What are the properities of the gas carbon monoxide ?
Gas
Colourless
Toxic
Odourless
41
What are in fossil fules ?
Hydrocarbons
Nitrogen oxides
Sulfur impurities
42
What are sulfur impurites like in fossil fuel ?
Sulfur is an impurity that is present in all fossil fuels.
Sulfur oxidises when burned. This produces the toxic gas sulfur dioxide.
If inhaled, sulfur dioxide can cause respiratory (breathing) problems.
Sulfur dioxide can react with water to form sulfuric acid, which is a major component (part) of acid rain.
Acid rain causes steel corrosion, the weathering of buildings and statues, and the death of insects, plants, and aquatic organisms
43
What happens if sulur is burnt ?
Sulfur oxidises when burned. This produces the toxic gas sulfur dioxide.
44
What happens if you inhale sulur dioxide ?
If inhaled, sulfur dioxide can cause respiratory (breathing) problems.
45
Sulfur dioxide can react with water to form what ?
sulfuric acid, which is a major component (part) of acid rain.
46
What does acid rain from suluric acid rain cause ?
Acid rain causes steel corrosion, the weathering of buildings and statues, and the death of insects, plants, and aquatic organisms
47
When hydrocarbons are burned in a confined space (e.g. in the internal combustion engines of cars), the high temperatures can cause nitrogen and oxygen to react. What does this lead to formation of ?
This leads to the formation of toxic nitrogen oxides.
48
Hydrogen fuel cells can be used as alternatives to what ?
to petrol as fuel in cars
49
What are the advantages of usimg hydrogen fuel cells instead of petrol in cars ?
Toxicity - Hydrogen fuel cells use hydrogen and oxygen and the only waste product is water.
This means no greenhouse gases are emitted. Petrol vehicles emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
Capacity - Hydrogen fuel cells produce more energy per gram of hydrogen relative to petrol.
50
What are the disadvantages of using hydrogen fuel cells instead of petrol in cars ?
hydrogen has to be stored at a high pressure
hydrogen gas is explosive
There are not many places to refuel either
51
What causes nitrogen and oxygen to react when hydrocarbons are burned in a confined space?
Temperature
52
What is the balanced equation for the complete combustion of ethane ?
2C2H6 + 7O2 → 4CO2 + 6H2O
53
Roughly how long agi do we think the earth was formed ?
4.6 billion years ago
54
What were littered across the earths surface for the first billion years of its existence ?
Highly active volcanoes
55
What gas was mainly present in the earths early atmosphere and why ?
The frequent eruptions of volcanoes resulted in the release of lots of carbon dioxide
Scientists think carbon dioxide dominated the early atmosphere in a similar way to modern-day Mars.
56
What gases were released by intense volcanic activity into the Earth's early atmosphere ?
```
Carbon dioxide
Nitrogen
Water vapour
Methane
Ammonia
```
57
What were formed as a result of water vapour condensing ?
The oceans were formed as a result of the water vapour condensing.
The formation of the oceans caused a significant reduction in carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.
Carbonate precipitates were produced by reactions between the dissolved carbon dioxide and seawater. These precipitates were deposited as sediment.
58
The formation of the oceans did what to the carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere ?
The formation of the oceans caused a significant reduction in carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.
59
What was formed as a result of the reactions between between the dissolved carbon dioxide and seawater ?
Carbonate precipitates.
These precipitates were deposited as sediment.
60
What played pivotal roles in the evolution of the Earth's early atmosphere ?
Volcanos
| Oceans
61
What increased the atmospheric concentration of oxygen ?
Photosythesis
62
What is photosythesis ?
Photosynthesis is the process in which light energy is used to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen.
63
What were the first phtosynthetic organisms to evolve approximately 2.7 billion years ago ?
Algae
Over the next billion years, photosynthesising plants began to evolve.
This led to an ever-increasing rate of oxygen accumulating in the atmosphere.
64
Eventually, a threshold concentration of oxygen was reached which allowed what ?
more complex life forms to evolve, such as animals
65
What three factors caused atmospheric carbon dioxide to decrease ?
Photosythesis
Marine animals
Oceans
66
How did photosythesis causes atmospheric carbon dioxide to decrease ?
Carbon dioxide is 1 of the reactants of the equation for photosynthesis.
Therefore, the photosynthetic action of algae and plants removed carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
67
How did marine animals causes atmospheric carbon dioxide to decrease ?
Marine animals evolved.
| This removed carbonates from the oceans as the animals used these to build their shells and skeletons.
68
How did oceans causes atmospheric carbon dioxide to decrease ?
The formation of oceans removed large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Once dissolved in the oceans, some of this carbon dioxide reacted with seawater to give carbonate precipitates.
69
What gas slowly built in the earths atmosphere ?
Nitrogen
70
How do we test for oxygen ?
Insert a glowing splint into a test tube containing a gas.
| If the gas is oxygen, the splint will relight.
71
What apparatus is required when testing for oxygen ?
Test tube
| Glowing splint
72
What state must a splint be in when testing for oxygen?
Glowing
73
What is the green house affect ?
Greenhouse gases cause the greenhouse effect.
This helps keep the Earth warm enough for life.
But, the greenhouse effect can cause global warming if it is too intense
74
What is the process of the greenhouse effect ?
1. The Sun emits short wavelength infrared radiation that enters the atmosphere and travels towards the Earth.
2. The Earth absorbs a portion of this radiation, but longer wavelength radiation is reflected back into the atmosphere.
3. Greenhouse gases can't absorb the short wavelength radiation emitted by the Sun, but they can absorb the reflected radiation.
4. The gases re-radiate this as heat energy, some of which heads back to Earth.
5. This increases the temperature at the Earth’s surface.
75
What human activities cause the atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases to increase ?
Landfill sites
Deforestation
Agriculture
Burning fossil fuels
76
How do landfill sites cause the atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases to increase ?
The number and size of landfill sites is increasing.
This means that more mounds of waste are decomposing.
This process of decomposition releases methane, which is a greenhouse gas.
77
How does deforestation cause the atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases to increase ?
As we cut down more and more trees, the global rate of photosynthesis will decrease.
Given that carbon dioxide is a reactant in the equation for photosynthesis, this means that less carbon dioxide will be removed from the atmosphere by this process.
78
How does agriculture cause the atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases to increase ?
Farm animals release methane gas during digestion of food
79
How does burning fossil fuels cause the atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases to increase ?
Burning fossil fuels releases carbon, in the form of carbon dioxide. This carbon dioxide had been stored away for millions of years previously.
80
Which region on Earth do you think reflects the greatest proportion of radiation arriving from the Sun?
The white surface of Antarctica makes it the most reflective region in the world.
This is one of the reasons why it's so ridiculously cold!
81
Name 3 greenhouse gases
Carbon dioxide
Methane
Water vapour
82
What motives might people have to play down the contribution of greenhouse gas emissions to climate change?
A common bias is that an individual is involved in an industry which relies on, for example, burning fossil fuels.
Burning fossil fuels is central to this individual's profession but it is also known to release lots of carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas.
Therefore, it is in the individual's interest to play down the negative effects of greenhouse gases in order to avoid more regulation of the relevant industry.
83
What are the potential consequences of global warming ?
Ice caps melting in south pole
Meteorological events
Changes in water avalibility
Changes in precipitation
Food shortages
84
What are the effects of the ice caps melting in the south pole ?
Polar ice caps could melt. This would cause:
Sea levels to rise. This would cause flooding and erosion of coastal regions.
Some species to be less successful hunters. For example, the polar bear.
85
How does global warming increase Meteorological events ?
Extreme meteorological events, such as storms, heatwaves and droughts, could increase in frequency and intensity.
86
How does global warming increase changes in water availabilty ?
Changes in water availability could affect how species are distributed.
87
How does global warming increase changes in precipitation ?
The quantity, timing and distribution of precipitation could change.
This would result in some regions receiving much less or much more rainfall than they previously did.
88
How does global warming increase food shortages ?
A combination of some or all of these factors could hinder a region’s ability to produce food. This could lead to potential famines.
89
How complex is the global climate system ?
Very
90
How could global climate change affect extreme meteorological events?
Increased frequency
Increased severity
