C9 Crude Oil Flashcards
What is crude oil?
- A mixture of different compounds
- A finite resource found in rocks from dead organic material
What does crude oil contain?
A mixture of hydrocarbons
What is crude oil separated into and what is this based on?
It is separated into fractions based on boiling point
What is an alkane?
A saturated hydrocarbon that contains as many H atoms as possible
What is the general formula for alkanes?
CnH(2n + 2)
What are the properties of short hydrocarbons?
- Low boiling point
- High volatility (turn to gas)
- Low viscosity
- Highly flammable
What are the properties of longer hydrocarbon chains?
- Higher boiling point
- Lower volatility (turn to gas)
- High viscosity
- Lower flammability (with a smoky flame)
How is crude oil separated?
fractional distillation
how is crude oil formed?
over millions of years from tiny plankton that were buried in mud
what is a hydrocarbon?
a molecule made up of only hydrogen and carbon
what are the first 4 alkanes?
methane
ethane
propane
butane
what is viscosity?
it tells the thickness of a liquid
what does flammability mean?
how easily the hydrocarbon combusts
what happens when hydrocarbon fuels are combusted?
they release energy
what happens when a hydrocarbon burns with plenty of oxygen?
the reaction will produce carbon dioxide and water