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C9 Crude Oils and Fuels
C9.1 - Hydrocarbons
Hydrocarbons: molecules made up of only hydrogen and carbon atoms
Crude Oil: a type of fossil fuel that is a mixture of many compounds and molecules of
hydrocarbons
❖ they were formed over millions of years ago from the remains of dead organisms
➢ crude oil specifically from dead sea creatures, which decompose into oil
and gas, then trapped between layers of rocks
➢ they are extracted by minings and separated at an oil refinery
❖ crude oil is classified as a finite energy resource as they are non-renewable
# of carbon atoms name formula
1 methane CH4
2 ethane C2H6
3 propane C3H8
4 butane C4H10
5 pentane C5H12
6 hexane C6H14
❖ alkanes are examples of hydrocarbons, which are saturated (meaning that they
don’t contain a double-bonded carbon and hold as many hydrogen atoms as
possible)
➢ they are unreactive and inert, but make excellent fuels, especially
short-chained hydrocarbons because they are:
■ able to ignite easily/higher flammability
■ burn well with less smoky flames
■ lower boiling point
■ higher volatility
■ low viscosity
C9 Crude Oils and Fuels
C9.1 - Hydrocarbons
Hydrocarbons: molecules made up of only hydrogen and carbon atoms
Crude Oil: a type of fossil fuel that is a mixture of many compounds and molecules of
hydrocarbons
❖ they were formed over millions of years ago from the remains of dead organisms
➢ crude oil specifically from dead sea creatures, which decompose into oil
and gas, then trapped between layers of rocks
➢ they are extracted by minings and separated at an oil refinery
❖ crude oil is classified as a finite energy resource as they are non-renewable
# of carbon atoms name formula
1 methane CH4
2 ethane C2H6
3 propane C3H8
4 butane C4H10
5 pentane C5H12
6 hexane C6H14
❖ alkanes are examples of hydrocarbons, which are saturated (meaning that they
don’t contain a double-bonded carbon and hold as many hydrogen atoms as
possible)
➢ they are unreactive and inert, but make excellent fuels, especially
short-chained hydrocarbons because they are:
■ able to ignite easily/higher flammability
■ burn well with less smoky flames
■ lower boiling point
■ higher volatility
■ low viscosity
