Hydrocarbons Flashcards
What is hydraulic fracturing or ‘fracking’?
It is a method to obtain fossil fuels by injecting a mixture of water, sand, and other substances into underground rock at high pressure.
What are natural gas and crude oil formed from?
They are formed from the ancient remains of microscopic animals and plants that once lived in the sea.
Why are natural gas and crude oil considered finite resources?
They are not being made any more, or are being made extremely slowly, which limits the amounts available to us.
What is crude oil?
Crude oil is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons.
What is a hydrocarbon?
A hydrocarbon is a compound that contains only hydrogen and carbon atoms.
Why can carbon atoms be arranged in chains or rings?
Carbon atoms can each form four covalent bonds, allowing them to join together in different ways.
What are some examples of hydrocarbons?
Methane (CH₄), ethane (C₂H₆), propane (C₃H₈), butane (C₄H₁₀), methylbutane (C₅H₁₂), and cyclohexane (C₆H₁₂).
What physical states do hydrocarbons exist in?
Hydrocarbons exist in different physical states depending on the size and complexity of their molecules.
What are two reasons why crude oil is useful?
It provides fuels for vehicles, aircraft, ships, heating, and power stations, and serves as feedstock for the petrochemical industry.
What is natural gas primarily composed of?
Natural gas is primarily a mixture of hydrocarbons in the gas state, with methane being the main hydrocarbon.
What are some liquid fuels obtained from crude oil?
Petrol, diesel oil, and kerosene.
Why are diesel and methane considered non-renewable fossil fuels?
They are being used up faster than they are being formed.
What is octane?
Octane (C₈H₁₈) is one of the substances found in petrol.
Why is petrol considered non-renewable?
Because it is derived from fossil fuels that are being consumed faster than they can be replenished.
What is the unit of volume used by the oil industry?
The barrel, which is equivalent to 159 litres.
How much oil does the world use each day?
About 96 million barrels of oil each day, or approximately 180,000 litres per second.
