4.7.1 Carbon compounds as fuels and feedstock Flashcards
What is crude oil?
Crude oil is a finite resource found in rocks, consisting mainly of the remains of ancient biomass, primarily plankton, buried in mud.
What are hydrocarbons?
Hydrocarbons are molecules made up of hydrogen and carbon atoms only, and most compounds in crude oil are hydrocarbons.
What are alkanes?
Most hydrocarbons in crude oil are called alkanes, which have the general formula Cn H2n+2.
What are the first four members of the alkanes?
The first four members of the alkanes are methane, ethane, propane, and butane.
How can alkane molecules be represented?
Alkane molecules can be represented in various forms, such as C2 H6.
What is fractional distillation?
Fractional distillation is a process that separates hydrocarbons in crude oil into fractions, each containing molecules with a similar number of carbon atoms.
What fuels are produced from crude oil?
Fuels such as petrol, diesel oil, kerosene, heavy fuel oil, and liquefied petroleum gases are produced from crude oil.
What materials does the petrochemical industry produce?
The petrochemical industry produces solvents, lubricants, polymers, and detergents.
What properties of hydrocarbons depend on molecular size?
Properties such as boiling point, viscosity, and flammability depend on the size of hydrocarbon molecules.
What happens during the combustion of hydrocarbon fuels?
The combustion of hydrocarbon fuels releases energy, oxidizing carbon and hydrogen to produce carbon dioxide and water.
What is cracking in hydrocarbons?
Cracking is the process of breaking down hydrocarbons to produce smaller, more useful molecules.
What are the methods of cracking?
Cracking can be done by various methods, including catalytic cracking and steam cracking.
What products are formed from cracking?
The products of cracking include alkanes and alkenes.
How do alkenes react with bromine water?
Alkenes are more reactive than alkanes and react with bromine water, which is used as a test for alkenes.
What is the significance of cracking?
Cracking produces fuels with small molecules and is essential for producing polymers and other chemicals.
