Organic Chemistry Flashcards
How is crude oil split up into its different fractions?
Fractional distillation
Describe how the fractional distillation works
The oil is heated until most of it has turned into gas. The gases enter a fractioning column. Inside the column there’s a temperature column, it’s hot at the bottom and gets cooler as you go up.
Why are bottle caps used?
To stop the separated liquids from running back down the column and remixing
What are the fractions of crude oil and their uses?
Refinery gases - used for bottled gas Petrol - fuel for cars Naphtha - used to make plastics Kerosene - jet engines Diesel - fuel for trucks Fuel oil - fuel for big ships Bitumen - road surfacing
When is carbon monoxide produced?
Incomplete combustion
Why is carbon monoxide dangerous?
It is poisonous. It combines with haemoglobin in blood cells, meaning the blood can carry less oxygen
When are Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides released?
When fossil fuels are burnt
How is acid rain formed ?
When Sulfur dioxide mixes with clouds, forming new dilute Sulfuric acid
What is cracking?
When long-chain hydrocarbons are split into more useful short-chain molecules
Why is cracking needed?
Because there is a much higher demand for short-chain hydrocarbons than there is for long-chain ones.
What kind of reaction is cracking?
Thermal decomposition
What are the conditions required for cracking?
Heat plus a catalyst
What is a hydrocarbon?
A molecule made up of hydrogen and carbon atoms only
What are the names of the first 5 alkanes?
- Methane
- Ethane
- Propane
- Butane
- Pentane
What is a homologous series?
A group of chemicals that have similar chemical properties, can be represented by a general formula and have the same functional group
What is general formula of the alkanes?
CnH2n+2