Fractional Distillation and Cracking Read pp. 193-195 p. 196 #2, 4

Where do Hydrocarbons come from? We extract carbon as crude oil (a liquid), which comes from petroleum (a mix of gases, liquids, and solids containing C atoms of different sizes) Petroleum comes from fossil fuels due to the breakdown of organisms over millions of years

What do we do with crude oil? We use fractional distillation to separate crude oil into different sized hydrocarbons. These hydrocarbons are used for a variety of things essential to life. Heat the mixture at a VERY high temperature in a tower  gases Gas cools as it rises. Each component condenses at their own boiling point. Smallest hydrocarbons at the top (lowest BP) and largest hydrocarbons at the bottom (highest BP).

Cracking The resulting fractions have different uses depending on their properties, and some fractions are more useful than others. Shorter hydrocarbons are more useful than longer chains and burn cleaner. Hydrocarbons are mixed with a catalyst and heated up to a temperature of upwards of 500 C, which breaks the longer chains into shorter chains. Uses: plastics, gasoline

Environmental Concerns Oil is in demand and it is a non-renewable resource Oil fields and stations have the ability to harm the environment should there be an incident Oil Spill Lab