Fractional Distillation Flashcards
What is crude oil?
a mixture of alkanes
main source of organic chemicals
How does crude oil cause acid rain?
some compounds contain sulfur
these produce SO2, when burnt
it then reacts with oxygen high in the atmosphere to form sulfur trioxide, this reacts with water to form sulfuric acid.
How is the mixture of crude oil separated?
heating it and collecting the fractions that boil over the different ranges of temperatures
What are collected at the fractions?
a mixture of hydrocarbons of similar chain length and therefore properties
What is meant by a temperature gradient?
the tower is coller at the top than at the bottom
How is the crude oil collected?
vapours pass up the tower via a series of tray that contain bubble caps until they arrive at a tray that is sufficiently cool for them to condense
shorter chains at the top
What happens after the crude oil is collected?
it is piped off
What happens to the hydrocarbons that do not become vapour?
collected at the base of the tower
used for road surfacing
some is converted into more valuable products
