Why is crude oil important as a source of new materials? Flashcards
What is crude oil important for?
fuels and feed stock
it is used as feedstock to make polyethene - a polymer
What is crude oil used for?
almost all consumer goods require crude oil as part of the manufacturing process
How long does it take for crude oil to form or be made?
extremely slowly over millions of years
it is being used much faster than it can be replaced
What is crude oil made of?
a mixture of hydrocarbons which are compounds that only contain hydrogen and carbon atoms only
What fuels are taken from crude oil?
fossil fuels such as petrol, kerosene and diesel oil
What is fractional distillation?
crude oil has many hydrocarbons at different boiling points
hydrocarbon chains all belong to the alkane series
the longer the chain, the greater the intermolecular forces - so the higher the boiling point
this means that crude oil can be separated into useful parts that contain hydrocarobs and similar boiling points.
What happens during fractional distiliation?
the crude oil is heated in a fractionating column
the column has a temperature gradient - it is hotter at the bottom of the column than at the top
fractions with low boiling points leave toward the top of the column
fractions with high boiling points leave towards the bottom of the column
What is cracking?
there is not enough petrol in crude oil to meet the demand.
cracking is used to change the parts of crude oil that cannot be used into smaller molecules
it requires a high temperature and pressure
petrol can then be made in this way
