fuels and hydrocarbons

Question 1

What are non-renewable resources?

Answer 1

Non-renewable resources are resources that have a certain supply which will run out eventually.

Question 2

What are hydrocarbons?

Answer 2

Hydrocarbons are molecules made of hydrogen and carbon atoms.

Question 3

What is crude oil?

Answer 3

Crude oil is a non-renewable resource that is a mixture of different compounds that aren’t chemically combined, which is made from phytoplankton.

Question 4

What are long chain hydrocarbons?

Answer 4

Long chain hydrocarbons are hydrocarbons that have a lot of carbon atoms.

Question 5

What are short chain hydrocarbons?

Answer 5

Short chain hydrocarbons are hydrocarbons that have few carbon atoms.

Question 6

What is fractional distillation?

Answer 6

Fractional distillation is when crude oil is separated into fractions that have like numbers of carbon atoms.

Question 7

What are fractions?

Answer 7

Fractions are groups of hydrocarbons.

Question 8

What are plankton?

Answer 8

Plankton are tiny plants and animals from the sea.

Question 9

What is feedstock?

Answer 9

Feedstock is a material used in the industrial process.

Question 10

What is a homologous series?

Answer 10

A homologous series is a series of compounds with generally the same formula.

Question 11

What is the composition of the Earth’s atmosphere?

Answer 11

Currently there is 21% of oxygen, 78% of nitrogen and 1% of other gases, like carbon.

Question 12

What is photosynthesis?

Answer 12

Photosynthesis takes in carbon and makes oxygen.

Question 13

What are fossil fuels?

Answer 13

Fossil fuels are non-renewable resources that contain carbon.

Question 14

How is coal formed?

Answer 14

Coal is created from the remnants of trees that do not decompose in marshy wetlands due to lack of oxygen or acidic conditions.

Question 15

What prevents decomposition of plant remains?

Answer 15

Lack of oxygen or acidic conditions prevent bacteria from causing decomposition.

Question 16

How is coal formed from plant remains?

Answer 16

After time, sediment covers the plant remains and they are then compressed by high pressure and temperature.

Question 17

How is crude oil formed?

Answer 17

When plankton die, they settle in mud on the sea bed and do not decompose if there is a lack of oxygen; over time, heat and pressure turn them into crude oil.

Question 18

What is natural gas primarily composed of?

Answer 18

Natural gas is mainly the hydrocarbon of methane.

Question 19

Where is natural gas found?

Answer 19

Natural gas is found by deposits of oil.

Question 20

What is the main use of crude oil?

Answer 20

Crude oil is used to make fuels and other chemicals.

Question 21

What are hydrocarbons in crude oil?

Answer 21

Hydrocarbons take up the majority of compounds in crude oil and have different sizes, leading to different properties.

Question 22

What is the structure of methane?

Answer 22

Methane contains one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms covalently bonded together.

Question 23

What are alkanes?

Answer 23

Hydrocarbons like methane and ethane are alkanes.

Question 24

What is the structure of ethene?

Answer 24

Ethene contains 2 carbon atoms and 6 hydrogen atoms.

Question 25

How does fractional distillation work?

Answer 25

Fractional distillation separates hydrocarbons using their different boiling points.

Question 26

What happens during evaporation in fractional distillation?

Answer 26

Heat the crude oil to evaporate it; crude oil vapour is put into a fractional column located at the bottom and it rises upwards.

Question 27

What happens during condensation in fractional distillation?

Answer 27

Long chain hydrocarbons condense at the bottom, where the temperature is highest, and are collected as liquids; short chain hydrocarbons pass through the top, where the temperature is lower.

Question 28

What happens to the fractions collected from fractional distillation?

Answer 28

The fractions are collected and made into products, such as fuel or feedstock for detergents and lubricants.

Question 29

What are the functions of different fractions from fractional distillation?

Answer 29

Kerosene is used for aircraft, diesel oil for cars and trains, fuel oil for large ships and power stations, petrol for cars, gases for domestic heating and cooking, and bitumen for surfacing roads and roofs.

Question 30

What are the characteristics of members of a homologous series?

Answer 30

Members of the homologous series can have similar chemical properties but different physical properties.

Question 31

What is the general formula for a homologous series?

Answer 31

The homologous series have the same general formula and neighbouring compounds have a difference of CH2.