Fuels And Earth Science Flashcards
Hydrocarbon
Is a molecule that contains Hydrogen and carbon only
What industry are hydrocarbons used in?
They are important in the petrochemical industry and used as fuels. - scientist who work with chemicals from fuels
What is the homologous Series?
A family of molecules which have the same general formula and share similar chemical properties
What is crude oil?
A complex mixture of lots of different hydrocarbons which contain just carbon and hydrogen
What is a fuel?
Something that can be burned to release heat and light energy
What is fractional distillation?
The process where chemists separate the crude oil mixture into more useful fractions with similar boiling points
What is gas used for?
Short or long chain?
High or low boiling point
Ignition?
Used in domestic heating and cooking -short chain -top of the fractionating column Low boiling point High ignition
What is petrol used for?
Short or long chain?
High or low boiling point
Ignition?
Used as a fuel in cars
-short chain
Low boiling point
High ignition
What is kerosene used for?
Low or high boiling point
Ignition
Used as fuel in aircraft
Low boiling point
High ignition
What is diesel used for?
Chain size?
Boiling point?
Ignition?
Used as a fuel in some cars and larger vehicles- trains or lorries
Moderate size chain
High boiling point
Low ignition
What is fuel oil used for?
-high or low boiling point
Chain size?
Ignition?
Used as a fuel for large ships and also in some power stations
High boiling point
Low ignition
Long chain
What is bitumen used for?
-short or long chain?
High or low boiling point
Ignition
Used to surface roads and roofs
Long chain
Very high boiling points
Low ignition
2 differences between simple and fractional distillation
SD - cheap and easy equipment needed
FD-expensive and complicated
SD- can only separate mixtures of two substances
FD- can separate mixtures of two or more substances
Intermolecular forces in hydrocarbons
Intermolecular forces of attraction break a lot more easily in small molecules than bigger molecules- forces are much stronger in bigger molecules
-big chains have higher molecules than small chains
Why are shorter hydrocarbons easier to ignite?
Because they have a lower boiling point which tends to be a gas at room temp
Gas molecules mix with oxygen in the air to produce a gas mixture which bursts into flames if it come into contact with a spark
Viscosity
Measures how easily a substance flows
What is the viscosity of long chain hydrocarbons?
They have a higher viscosity as the stringer the force between hydrocarbon molecules, the harder it is for the liquid to flow
What is the viscosity of shorter hydrocarbons?
Low viscosity so they are much runnier
Why do hydrocarbons make great fuels?
Because the combustion reactions that happen when you burn them in oxygen give out lots of energy as the reaction is very exothermic
Complete combustion
When you burn hydrocarbons with plenty of oxygen, the only products are carbon dioxide and water
Incomplete combustion
Occurs when a hydrocarbon burns a limited supply of oxygen
Rules for Alkanes
- how many bonds do carbon make?
- how many bonds do hydrogen make?
Made of hydrogen and carbon only
Carbon atoms will make 4 bonds
Hydrogen atoms will make 1 bond
Alkanes contain only carbon single bonds- they are a saturated compounds
What does saturated mean?
A saturated substance is one in which the atoms are linked by single bonds.
What does unsaturated mean?
unsaturated means a molecule contains double or triple carbon-carbon bonds.
What is the general formula for Alkanes?
2n + 2