Crude oil

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Lesson notes

Formation of Crude Oil

Crude oil is a **liquid** found deep under the Earth's surface.
It is made from the remains of **organisms** like algae and plankton.
These remains were deposited on the sea floor and covered by **sediments**.
Over **millions of years**, heat and pressure turned the remains into crude oil.

Composition of Crude Oil

Crude oil is a **mixture** of many different substances.
Most of these substances are **hydrocarbons** – compounds made of **hydrogen** and **carbon**.

Fractional Distillation Process

Crude oil is separated into different parts by **fractional distillation**.
In a refinery, crude oil is **heated** until it turns into a gas.
The gas enters a tall tower called a **fractionating column**.
The column is **hotter at the bottom** and **cooler at the top**.
As the gas rises, different substances **cool and condense** at different temperatures (different boiling points).
Liquids are collected at various levels, each collecting a different **fraction**.

Products and Their Uses

**Petrol**: Fuel for cars.
**Diesel**: Fuel for trucks, buses, and some cars.
**Kerosene**: Fuel for jet engines and heaters.
**Fuel Oil**: Used in ships and large industrial plants.
**Butane and Propane**: Fuel for cooking, heating, and lighters.
**Lubricating oils**: Reduce friction in engines and machines.

Environmental Impact

Burning fuels from crude oil releases **carbon dioxide (CO₂)**.
CO₂ is a **greenhouse gas** that contributes to **global warming**.

States of matter: solid, liquid, gas. Crude oil is a liquid; fractional distillation involves heating to gas and cooling to liquid.

Slides

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Practice questions

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1.What is crude oil mostly made of?
Easy
- AHydrocarbons
- BCarbohydrates
- CProteins
- DFats
2.Which of the following is NOT a product obtained from fractional distillation of crude oil?
Easy
- APetrol
- BDiesel
- CKerosene
- DEthanol
3.In a fractionating column, where is the temperature highest?
Medium
- AAt the top
- BAt the bottom
- CIn the middle
- DIt is the same everywhere
4.Why does fractional distillation separate crude oil into fractions?
Medium
- ADifferent substances have different boiling points
- BDifferent substances have different densities
- CDifferent substances have different colors
- DDifferent substances have different viscosities
5.Which of the following correctly lists the fractions in order of increasing boiling point?
Hard
- APetrol, kerosene, diesel, fuel oil
- BFuel oil, diesel, kerosene, petrol
- CPetrol, diesel, kerosene, fuel oil
- DKerosene, petrol, diesel, fuel oil
6.What is a hydrocarbon?
Medium
- AA compound made of hydrogen and carbon only
- BA compound made of hydrogen and oxygen only
- CA compound made of carbon and oxygen only
- DA compound made of hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen
7.Which gas is released when fuels from crude oil are burned?
Easy
- ACarbon dioxide
- BOxygen
- CNitrogen
- DHydrogen
8.Why is crude oil described as a non-renewable resource?
Medium
- AIt is made from remains of organisms that lived millions of years ago and takes millions of years to form
- BIt can be made quickly in a laboratory
- CIt is found in unlimited quantities
- DIt is not used up when burned

Revision notes

## Crude Oil Revision Notes ### Formation - Crude oil is a liquid found deep underground, formed from the remains of **algae and plankton**. - These remains were deposited on the sea floor, covered by sediments, and over **millions of years** heat and pressure turned them into crude oil. ### Composition - Crude oil is a **mixture** of many substances, mostly **hydrocarbons** (compounds made of **hydrogen and carbon** only). ### Separation: Fractional Distillation - Crude oil is separated into useful parts by **fractional distillation** in a refinery. - The oil is **heated** until it turns into gas, then enters a **fractionating column** which is **hotter at the bottom** and **cooler at the top**. - As the gas rises, different substances **condense** (turn back into liquid) at different heights because they have **different boiling points**. - Each level collects a different **fraction** (e.g., petrol, kerosene, diesel). ### Products and Uses - **Petrol**: Fuel for cars. - **Diesel**: Fuel for trucks, buses, some cars. - **Kerosene**: Fuel for jet engines and heaters. - **Fuel Oil**: Used in ships and industrial plants. - **Butane and Propane**: Fuel for cooking, heating, lighters, portable stoves. - **Lubricating oils**: Reduce friction in engines and machines. ### Environmental Impact - Burning crude oil fuels releases **carbon dioxide (CO₂)**, a **greenhouse gas** that contributes to **global warming**. - Crude oil is a **non-renewable** resource (it takes millions of years to form).

Crude oil: A liquid found deep underground, formed from the remains of organisms over millions of years, and is a mixture of hydrocarbons.
Hydrocarbon: A compound made of hydrogen and carbon only.
Fractional distillation: A process that separates crude oil into different fractions based on their different boiling points, using a fractionating column.
Fractionating column: A tall tower used in fractional distillation that is hotter at the bottom and cooler at the top, allowing different substances to condense at different levels.
Fraction: A group of hydrocarbons with similar boiling points collected from the fractionating column (e.g., petrol, diesel).
Greenhouse gas: A gas that traps heat in the atmosphere, contributing to global warming; carbon dioxide is an example.

Flashcards

What is crude oil?

Crude oil is a liquid found deep under the Earth's surface, made from the remains of organisms like algae and plankton.

How is crude oil formed?

Crude oil forms from the remains of organisms deposited on the sea floor, covered by sediments, and transformed over millions of years by heat and pressure.

What are hydrocarbons?

Hydrocarbons are compounds made of hydrogen and carbon.

Why do we need to separate crude oil?

Crude oil is a mixture of many substances; we separate it into different parts to use them.

What process is used to separate crude oil?

Fractional distillation.

Describe the first step of fractional distillation.

Crude oil is heated until it turns into a gas.

What is a fractionating column?

A tall tower used in fractional distillation that is hotter at the bottom and cooler at the top.

How does fractional distillation separate substances?

Different substances have different boiling points; as the gas rises, they cool and turn back into liquids at different temperatures, collected at various levels.

What is a fraction?

A group of substances with similar boiling points collected at a specific level in the fractionating column.

Name four fractions obtained from crude oil.

Petrol, kerosene, diesel, and fuel oil.

What is petrol used for?

Fuel for cars.

What is diesel used for?

Fuel for trucks, buses, and some cars.

What is kerosene used for?

Fuel for jet engines and heaters.

What is fuel oil used for?

Used in ships and large industrial plants for heating and power generation.

What are butane and propane used for?

Fuel for cooking, heating, and in lighters; propane also used for some engines and portable stoves.

What are lubricating oils used for?

To reduce friction in engines and machines.

What gas is released when burning fuels from crude oil?

Carbon dioxide (CO2).

Why is carbon dioxide a concern?

It is a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.

True or false: A fractionating column is hotter at the top than the bottom.

False. It is hotter at the bottom and cooler at the top.

True or false: Butane, petrol, and diesel are products from fractional distillation of crude oil.

True.

True or false: Petrol has a higher boiling point than diesel.

False. Diesel has a higher boiling point than petrol.

True or false: Burning fuels from crude oil releases carbon dioxide.

True.

True or false: Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas.

True.

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