Introduction to Organic Chemistry Flashcards
What is crude oil, in terms of its formation?
Crude oil is the remains of an ancient biomass consisting mainly of plankton that was buried in mud
What are most of the compounds in crude oil?
Hydrocarbons (molecules made up of hydrogen and carbon atoms only)
Where is crude oil found?
In rocks
What is the general formula for the homologous series of alkanes?
CnH2n+2
What are properties of Hydrocarbons?
- Some properties depend on the size of their molecules, e.g. boiling point, viscosity and flammability. These properties influence how hydrocarbons are used as fuels
How does the length of the fraction affect the viscosity?
The longer the fraction, the more viscous the fraction will be
How does the length of the fraction affect the volatility?
Shorter fractions have lower boiling points and so evaporate more easily. The more volatile a fraction is, the easier it mixes with air. This means the fraction ignites and burns more easily
Fractional Distillation
In fractional distillation, crude oil is evaporated. The fractionating column is hotter at the bottom and colder at the top. Different fractions have different boiling points and so condense at different levels. Longer fractions collect at the bottom, shorter fractions collect at the top
How does the length of the fraction affect the boiling point?
The longer the chain, the higher the boiling point
Properties of longer chain hydrocarbons
Higher boiling points- as the longer molecules entangle more and are harder to separate and so have STRONG INTERMOLECULAR FORCES, which take a lot of energy to separate
Lower volatility (turn to a gas less easily)- STRONG INTERMOLECULAR FORCES holding the molecules together
High viscosity (as the molecules entangle and have STRONG INTERMOLECULAR FORCES)
Lower flammability
What number of carbons do refinery gases have?
1 - 4
What number of carbons do gasoline / petrol have?
5 - 10
What number of carbons does kerosene have?
11 - 15
What number of carbons does diesel have?
16 - 20
How many carbons does residue have?
20 +