Alkanes&petroleum Flashcards
What is an alkane?
A saturated hydrocarbon
How is crude oil separated?
Fractional distillation
What temperature is the crude oil vaporised at?
350 degrees
Which type of hydrocarbon don’t vaporise and why not?
Largest
Boiling points are too high
What is created when it gets cooler as the crude oil vapour moves up the column?
A temperature gradient
What do the largest hydrocarbons form at the bottom of the fractioning column?
Gooey residue
What is cracking?
Breaking up long-chain alkanes into smaller hydrocarbons
What are the two types of cracking?
Thermal
Catalytic
What are the conditions for thermal cracking?
High temperatures
High pressures
What does thermal cracking produce?
A lot of alkenes
What does catalytic cracking use and need?
a zeolite catalyst
slight pressure
high temperature
What does catalytic cracking produce?
Aromatic hydrocarbons
Alkanes needed to produce motor fuels
What are the benefits of using catalytic cracking?
Faster = saves time Cheaper = lower pressure and temperature
