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Crude oil, fuels and fractional distillation

Organic chemistry · Lesson 1 of 5

Lesson 1 of 5

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Lesson 1 of 5 · Organic chemistry

Crude oil, fuels and fractional distillation

3 quick checks≈2% of the testFoundational

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By the end you’ll be able to

describe crude oil as a finite resource formed from the remains of ancient biomass and explain why it is an important source of fuels and feedstock for the petrochemical industry
identify a hydrocarbon as a compound containing hydrogen and carbon only and recognise that crude oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons
explain how fractional distillation separates crude oil into fractions on the basis of different boiling points

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compare fractions by chain length, boiling point, viscosity and flammability using the general trend that shorter-chain hydrocarbons have lower boiling points and are more flammable

apply knowledge of named fractions and their typical uses, including refinery gases, petrol, kerosene, diesel, fuel oil and bitumen

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