Settler Activity: Solve the anagram

(rearrange the letters to make one word)

ICRUDE
CURE OLD
OIL
The Science
Game
Your category is…

Fractional Distillation
Starter:

Write a fact about fractional

distillation on your white
board

You have 2 minutes

Hold your boards
up….
Put your board down if your answer is listed here…

It’s a branch of mathematics X

It’s made from water X

It produces crude oil X

Unfortunately, that’s not right. Let’s find out what is…

Well Done if your answer is listed here…

It’s used to break crude oil into useful products 

It happens in a fractionating tower 

The residue left (bitumen) is used for building 

roads
It involves hydrocarbons 
Fractional Distillation
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
• Describe the trends in properties of hydrocarbons (6)
• Explain how fractional distillation works (7)
• Write balanced symbol equations for the complete combustion of
hydrocarbons with a given formula (8)

Lesson Objectives:
• To understand the process of fractional distillation and the
molecules involved
• Link boiling point, viscosity and flammability to chain length
So… What is Fractional Distillation?
Fill in the blanks on your worksheet
is the process by which
is into different, more useful .

The can be to produce

and (feedstock) used in the
industry.

The majority of produced are hydrocarbon chains called .

petrochemical – fractions – fractions – Fractional distillation – split

alkanes - crude oil – processed – molecules – fuels - products
So… What is Fractional Distillation?

Fractional distillation is the process by which crude oil

is split into different, more useful fractions.

The fractions can be processed to produce fuels and

molecules (feedstock) used in the petrochemical
industry.

The majority of products produced are hydrocarbon

chains called alkanes.

(We mean fractions of crude oil, not fractions used in mathematics)

What are crude
oil fractions?

Crude Oil

Fractions
So… What is Crude Oil?
Fill in the blanks on your worksheet

is a resource made of the remains of

that were alive millions of ago.

We for it and it from deep underground.

Many materials on which modern life depends are produced by

crude oil, such as , lubricants, , detergents.

Crude Oil is made of lots of of of different

lengths. Fractional Distillation separates these.

hydrocarbons – useful – drill – finite – chains – solvents – extract

years – Crude oil – polymers - organisms
So… What is Crude Oil?
Fill in the blanks on your worksheet

Crude Oil is a finite resource made of the remains of organisms that

were alive millions of years ago.

We drill for it and extract it from deep underground.

Many useful materials on which modern life depends are produced by

crude oil, such as solvents, lubricants, polymers, detergents.

Crude Oil is made of lots of chains of hydrocarbons of different

lengths. Fractional Distillation separates these
A Fractional Distillation Column
(copy the labels onto your diagram)
Fractional Distillation
In a fractionating column, the crude oil is heated.

The fractions have stronger intramolecular forces if they are

longer chains, and weaker if they are shorter chains.

This means that the shorter chains evaporate first and reach the
top of the tower where they condense, the longer chains stay
towards the bottom of the tower.

Complete on your worksheets

The shorter the hydrocarbon chain the lower the boiling point
and viscosity, the easier it flows and ignites.

The longer the hydrocarbon chain the higher the boiling point
and viscosity, it flows and ignites less easily.
Mini Practical
Testing what you’ve learnt

Look at the samples.

List them in order of hydrocarbon chain length according to what

you know about how the properties of the product relate to the
length of carbon chain.
Using Nano Simbox
1. Collect a tablet, open the web browser

2. Go to: student.nanosimbox.io

3. Enter the software using the code below, your email and
name
Code: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXX XXXXX

4. Build propane, petrol, kerosene and diesel by pressing

the purple icon with these molecules. Choose the level of
difficulty you prefer.

5. Write down the completed chemical formula for each of

these
molecules on your worksheet (the letters and numbers)
Fractions

What do you notice about these fractions?

Can you spot a pattern?
Can you write a method to predict how many hydrogens for a given number of carbons?

Molecule Formula
Propane C3H8
Kerosene C6H14
Petrol C13H­25
Diesel C16H34
Check your prediction
(complete the table)

Molecule Carbons Formula

Methane C
Ethane C2
Propane C3
Butane C4
Pentane C5
Check your answers
The rule is CnH2n+2
These are known as Alkanes

Molecule Carbons Formula

Methane C CH4
Ethane C2 C2H6
Propane C3 C3H8
Butane C4 C4H10
Pentane C5 C5H12
Why is fractional distillation important?

Fractions are used for many purposes, but mostly, hydrocarbons make very good fuels.

What does combustion mean?

Using Nano Simbox
1. Collect a tablet, open the web browser

2. Go to: student.nanosimbox.io

3. Enter the software using the code below, your email and
name
Code: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXX XXXXX

4. Build propane, oxygen, carbon dioxide and water by pressing

the purple icon with these molecules. Choose the level of

difficulty you prefer.

5. Write down the completed chemical formula for each of

these
Combustion

Combustion of hydrocarbons in the

presence of oxygen produces energy,
carbon dioxide and water.

How could you write a shorter version of

this?
How did you do?

One way to write the process is using the word

equation

propane + oxygen  carbon dioxide + water +

(energy)

Write this down in the space on your worksheet

 Let’s try to balance a chemical symbol
equation for respiration

Think of it like a cake – All of the reactants (ingredients) go in, they get
mixed together and chemically joined and become something different,
called the product (the cake in this example)

You know that all the ingredients (2 eggs, 200g flour etc) are in the cake,
but they are now completely different and can no longer be easily
separated.

This is why the equation has to balance.

How do we balanced the symbol equation for Respiration?
Word equation for respiration

propane + oxygen  carbon dioxide + water +

(energy) Wait!
We’re not done yet – this equation isn’t balanced
Chemical equation for photosynthesis
– you need to have the same
Energy is not an element, so not
number
included of equation
in the chemical each
element on each side of the equation
propane
C3H8 + oxygenO2  carbon COdioxide
2 + water H2O

Oxygen always goes around in

pairs unless attached to another
element
 The rules of balancing equations
C3H8 + O2 CO2 + H2O

• Work out how many of each element you have on each side
• The small number next to an element is how many of that
element there are in that molecule - You cannot edit this
• You need to work out how many you have to times an element by to
balance it
The rules of balancing equations
C3H8 + O2 CO2 + H2O

• On this side we have • On this side we have

• 3xC • 1xC
• 8xH • 2xH
• 2xO • 3xO
 The rules of balancing equations
C3H8 + O2 CO2 + H2O

Let’s times the carbon by 3 in to balance both

sides
We cannot separate the
• On thismolecule, so…. • On this side we have
side we have
• 3 x C This also affects• the
1 x number
C of
• 8 x H oxygen molecules • 2in
xHthe
• 2xO • 3xO
equation
The rules of balancing equations
C3H8 + O2 3CO2 + H2O

• On this side we have • On this side we have

• 3xC • 3xC
• 8xH • 2xH
• 2xO • 7xO
The rules of balancing equations
C3H8 + O2 3CO2 + H2O
REMEMBER: You cannot change the small
numbers. Now need 8 x H on the right… We
do this by multiplying the whole H2O
molecule
• On this side we have • On this side we have
• 3xC • 3xC
• 8xH • 2xH
• 2xO • 7xO
The rules of balancing equations
C3H8 + O2 3CO2 + 4H2O

• On this side we have • On this side we have

• 3xC • 3xC
• 8xH • 8xH
• 2xO • 10 x O
The rules of balancing equations
C3H8 + O2 3CO2 + 4H2O
Look at the totals below – Now we need
to balance the O on the left

• On this side we have • On this side we have

• 3xC • 3xC
• 8xH • 8xH
• 2xO • 10 x O
The rules of balancing equations
C3H8 + O2 3CO2 + 4H2O

We multiply the O2 by
5…

• On this side we have • On this side we have

• 3xC • 3xC
• 8xH • 8xH
• 2xO • 10 x O
The rules of balancing equations
C3H8 + 5O2 3CO2 + 4H2O
It matches!
The equation is balanced!

• On this side we have • On this side we have

• 3xC • 3xC
• 8xH • 8xH
• 10 x O • 10 x O
The balanced symbol equation for
combustion of propane is:

C3H8 + 5O2 3CO2 + 4H2O

Write this on your worksheets

 Test your learning:
Write the balanced symbol
equation for the combustion of:
• Methane (CH4)
• Ethane (C2H6)
• Butane (C4H10)
 Check your answers:

Methane – CH4 + 2O2  CO2 + 2H2O

Ethane - 2C2H6 + 7O2  4CO2 + 6H2O

Butane - 2C4H10 + 13O2  8CO2 + 10H2O

Plenary:

Quick Quiz
Which of these is more viscous?

a b
Which of these is more flammable?

a b
Which of these is has a lower boiling
point?

a b
Which of these is a gas at room
temperature?

a b
Which of these is a wax used in
cosmetics?

a b
Which of these is would travel highest in a
fractionating tower?

a b
Put these in the right order of size (S to L)?

Pentane
Methane
Butane
Ethane
Propane
 What factors could you
change and measure in an
experiment testing the rate
of combustion?
Extension:

How would you teach

fractional distillation to
someone else in a fun way?
Be creative!