Crude Oil 6/10/21

Key words:
Intermolecular forces, viscosity, volatile, mixture, fractional distillation,

Learning objectives:
1) Define Crude oil.
2) Describe the industrial process of fractional
Do Now Task:
• Name the Process that is used
distillation separates crude oil
to separate mixture of water
3) Know the names and uses of the main
fractions obtained from crude oil: refinery and ethanol.
gases, gasoline, kerosene, diesel, fuel oil and
bitumen.
4) Predict the trends in colour, boiling points and
viscosity of the main fractions.
 Crude Oil

Crude oil: A mixture of hydrocarbons.

• Thick, sticky, black liquid that is found under porous rock (under the ground and
under the sea).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjmriZq5xRo&list=PLidqqIGKox7WeOKVGHxcd69kKqtwrKl8W&index=45
Fractional distillation: To separate two or more liquids that are miscible with one another
Explanation:
Fractional distillation is carried out in a fractionating column.
• In the fractionating column, it is hot at the bottom and cool at the top.
• Crude oil will enter the fractionating column and will be heated so vapours will
rise and evaporate.
• Vapours of hydrocarbons with very high boiling points will immediately turn
into liquid and are tapped off at the bottom of the column.
• Vapours of hydrocarbons with low boiling points will rise up the column and
condense at the top to be tapped off.
• The different fractions will condense at different heights according to their
boiling points and will be tapped off as liquids. All the fraction are mixtures of
different kinds of hydrocarbon.

To conclude the smaller hydrocarbons are collected at the top of the fractionating
column as gases.
The bigger hydrocarbons are collected at the lower sections of the fractionating
column.
The names and uses of the main fractions obtained from crude oil:
refinery gases, gasoline, kerosene, diesel, fuel oil and bitumen
Trends of Crude Oil Fractions
 Trends of Crude Oil Fractions

Colour: As carbon chain length increases, liquid colour gets darker, as it becomes thicker
and more viscous.

Viscosity: Viscosity refers to the ease of flow of a liquid.

High viscosity liquids are thick and flow less easily.
If the number of carbon atoms increases, the attraction between the hydrocarbon
molecules increases, which results in the liquid becoming more viscous – this is because
of the increasing length of the hydrocarbon chains.
Melting point/boiling point: As the molecules get larger, the intermolecular attraction
becomes greater, so more energy in the form of heat is needed to separate the molecules.
With increasing molecular size there is an increase in boiling point.

Volatility: Volatility refers to the tendency of a substance to vaporise. As their

molecular size increases, hydrocarbon liquids become less volatile
Crude Oil
Specification Point
4.7 Know that crude oil is a mixture of Hydrocarbons
4.8 Describe how the industrial process of fractional distillation separates crude oil
into fractions
4.9 Know the names and uses of the main fractions obtained from crude oil:
refinery gases, gasoline, kerosene, diesel, fuel oil and bitumen
4.10 Know the trend in colour, boiling point and viscosity of the main fractions
4.11 Know that a fuel is a substance that, when burned, releases heat energy
4.12 Know the possible products of complete and incomplete combustion of
Crude Oil part 2 6/10/21

Key words:
Intermolecular forces, viscosity, volatile, mixture, fractional distillation,

Learning objectives:
1) Identify the possible products of complete Do Now Task:
and incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons What is a Fuel?
with oxygen in air. Why Fuel is important?
2) Explain how high temperature in car engines Give example of common
allow the formation of nitrogen oxide. fuel?
3) Explain how the combustion of some
impurities in Hydrocarbon fuels results in the
formation of Sulfur dioxide
4) Understand how Sulfur dioxide and Oxides of
Nitrogen oxides contribute to acid rain
 Fuel
Fuel: Substance which when burned, releases heat energy

• This heat can be transferred into electricity, which we use in our daily lives
 Products of Combustion

Complete combustion: Occurs when there is an unlimited supply of air so that elements in

the fuel react fully with oxygen.

Complete combustion of hydrocarbons:

During the complete combustion of hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide and water will be
produced:
• Carbon will oxidise to form carbon dioxide
• Hydrogen will oxidise to water
Equation:
Hydrocarbon   +   Oxygen   →   Carbon dioxide   +   Water

Incomplete combustion: Occurs when there is a limited supply of air so that elements in

the fuel do not fully react with Oxygen

Incomplete combustion of Hydrocarbons:

During the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons, water will still be produced but instead
of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide will form
Equation:
Hydrocarbon   +   Oxygen   →   Carbon Monoxide   +   Water
 Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide: A poisonous gas that is colourless and odourless,
produced during incomplete combustion:
Hydrocarbon   +   Oxygen   →   Carbon monoxide   +   Water

Effect of Carbon monoxide on blood:

• When carbon monoxide is produced, it is absorbed in the lungs and binds with
the haemoglobin in our red blood cells.

• This reduces the capacity of the blood to carry oxygen.

Combustion reactions
 Formation of Oxides of Nitrogen in Car Engines

When fuels are burned in car engines, high temperatures are reached which allows
Nitrogen and Oxygen from the air to combine to produce Nitrogen monoxide:

Nitrogen   +   Oxygen   →   Nitrogen

Monoxide
N2 (g) + O2 (g) → 2NO (g)

Both Nitrogen monoxide (NO) and Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) are produced in car engines
as a result and is referred to as NOx
 Combustion of Hydrocarbon Fuels

Hydrocarbon fuels: Impure Hydrocarbon fuels contain Sulfur compounds

Combustion of Hydrocarbon fuels:

During the combustion of Hydrocarbon fuels, impurities such as Sulfur compounds
will be oxidised to produce sulfur dioxide:
Acid Rain
Acid rain: Rain that contains dissolved acidic gases such as sulfur dioxide and oxides of
nitrogen.
Acid Rain
Specification Point
4.12 Know the possible products of complete and incomplete combustion of
Hydrocarbons with Oxygen and air
4.13 Understand why Carbon monoxide is poisonous, in terms of its effect on the
capacity of blood to transport Oxygen
4.14 Know that, in car engines, the temperature reached is high enough to allow
Nitrogen and Oxygen from air to react, forming Oxides of Nitrogen
4.15 Explain how the combustion of some impurities in Hydrocarbon fuels results in
the formation of Sulfur dioxide
4.16 Understand how Sulfur dioxide and Oxides of Nitrogen oxides contribute to
acid rain