Hydrocarbon Mixtures

1- COMPOSITION OF CRUDE OIL

The word petroleum is derived from the Latin words for petra
(rock) and oleum (oil It is found in porous rock structures).

The compounds in crude petroleum oil are hydrocarbons or

substituted hydrocarbons in which the major elements are
1-carbon at 85%–90%
2-hydrogen at 10%–14%
3-non-hydrocarbon elements—sulfur (0.2%–3%), nitrogen (<
0.1–2%), oxygen (1%–1.5%),

Hydrocarbon mixtures
Hydrocarbon mixtures are composed of petroleum ethers and
other hydrocarbons.
Hydrocarbon is any chemical compound that consists only of
the elements carbon (C) and hydrogen (H).

Petroleum ether is the petroleum fraction consisting

of aliphatic hydrocarbons and boiling in the range 35‒60 °C
commonly used as a laboratory solvent. Despite the name,
petroleum ether is not classified as an ether; the term is used
only extreme lightness and volatility.

2- HYDROCARBON GROUPS
Hydrocarbons are grouped as paraffins, naphthenes, aromatics,
and olefins.

Paraffins are saturated hydrocarbons , the molecular formula of

CnH2n+2 such as
Paraffins are available both as normal and iso-paraffins.
Normal paraffins are straight chain compounds and iso-
paraffins are branched compounds .

Normal and iso-paraffins have the same formula ( same

number of carbon and hydrogen atoms), but they differ in their
physical and chemical properties .

Iso-paraffins are more reactive than normal paraffins .

Olefins are unsaturated hydrocarbons. The molecular formula is
CnH2n

Naphthenes : are cyclic saturated hydrocarbons with the general

formula Cn H2n
Aromatic hydrocarbons
often called benzenes, are chemically very active as compared to
other groups of hydrocarbons. Their general formula is
CnH2n-6.

Complex Hydrocarbons
Crude oil contains a large number of hydrocarbons Consists of
combined groups of any two or more groups of paraffins,
naphthenes, or aromatic hydrocarbons.
Refining Hydrocarbons
Distillation of crude oil is carried out at atmospheric
pressure(fractional distillation ) and under vacuum distillation
Low boiling fractions vaporise at atmospheric pressure
High boiling fractions are vaporised under vacuum at a
temperature much lower than 400°C , for cracking is
Avoided