crude oil, fuels and organic chemistry Flashcards
what is crude oil
a finite resource found in rocks, formed over millions of years from the remains of simple marine organisms
it contains a complex mixture of hydrocarbons
what are the processes in the fractional. distillation of crude oil
the crude oil mixture is put into the fractionating column at the bottom and he dead
The hydrocarbons evaporate and rise at the column
As the hydrocarbons rise, they eventually reach a fraction which is cool enough for them to condense back into a liquid
Mitchell left in the bottom which does not evaporate at all it’s called bitumen
what are fractions in fractional distillation
fractions contain mixtures of hydrocarbons (alkanes) with similar boiling points
what are the trends in properties of fractions with increasing chain length
boiling and melting points increases viscosity increases flammability increases volatility increases their colour darkens their usefulness as fuel decreases
what is the economic importance of the oil industry
Oil companies set the price of oil so there is an influence globally on the economy – it can be hard for poor countries to buy oil
wars or internal crisis within the country that produce oil can affect the flow of oil to other countries which they sell to
what is the political importance of the oil industry
Countries that are large producers of oil can essentially cut off all the supplies to other countries
This is used as a political tool
what is the social impact of the oil industry
the oil industry supplies jobs and money to the economy
what are the environmental impacts of the oil industry
burning fossil fuels release large amounts of carbon dioxide side, a greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming and climate change
Oil spillages into the ocean result in the death of marine life and birds and are often dealt with by setting them alight
Building of power stations and the process of drilling for oil causes damage to the landscape and loss of habitats
what are the combustion reactions of hydrocarbons
When hydrocarbon to be in plenty of oxygen it will come past as follows:
hydrocarbon + oxygen
—> carbon dioxide + water
When hydrocarbons being with insufficient oxygen it will come past as follows:
Hydrocarbon + oxygen —> carbon monoxide + water
what is the combustion reaction of hydrogen and what are its uses
hydrogen burns in oxygen and forms water
hydrogen is used as a fuel in rockets and some cars
what are the advantages of using hydrogen as a fuel
no greenhouse gases are produced in the combustion of hydrogen
an alternative fuel option as current fuels are running out
what are the disadvantages of using hydrogen as a fuel
hydrogen is extremely flammable
most of hydrogen produced comes from the fossil fuels or electrolysis so it still has a negative impact on the environment
hard to store and transport - must be cooled to very low temperatures so it liquifies for storage and transport
what is the fire triangle
a symbol that contains 3 things needs for a fire to burn: oxygen, fuel and heat
removing any of these will cause the fire to stop burning, so knowledge of the fire triangle can be used to prevent and put out fires
what is hydrocarbon cracking
breaking long chain hydrocarbons down into shorter and more useful chains
what are the products of hydrocarbon cracking
alkanes and unsaturated hydrocarbons called alkenes
alkenes are monomers that are used to make plastics
what is the general formula of alkanes
Cn H2n +2
what is the general formula of alkenes
Cn H2n
