The petrochemical chemistry

The Stone Age, the Iron Age and the Bronze Age are periods of history when
humans began to exploit particular substances and so made massive improvements
to their lives over a short period of time. In our time, it is oil which has had the
greatest impact on our lives.
From 1859, when the first oil well was sunk by Edwin Drake in the United States,
societies have relied increasingly on the production of oil, especially for fuel : 90
per cent of oil is burnt, very much of it used to provide energy for cheap transport.
But if the present were to become known as the Age of the Car, this would ignore
that we now do with the remaining 10 per cent of oil. This transformed through
chemical reactions into medicines, paints, insecticides, dyes, detergents, plastics
and other chemicals on which we now depend.

Making crude oil useful

Crude oil as it comes out of the ground is of little practical use. To make it useful,
it must first be separated into its components and this done by fractional distillation
The primary fractional distillation of crude oil takes place in a fractionating column.
Fractional distillation The column is cut away to show some of the trays.
Fractional distillation is the separation of a mixture of compounds by their Each tray contains many bubble caps, although only three are shown.
different boiling points. When crude oil is separated there are five major fractions
which are shown in the table and the diagram.
Fraction Boiling point Number of Percentage Uses
The fractions coming from the column are further separated by a variety of range in °C carbon atoms of crude oil
processes. Before a fraction can be used, the sulphur must be removed and this
fuel and as a
forms a valuable by-product. refinery gas -161 to +20 C1 to C4 1 to 2 feedstock for
petrochemicals
Cracking larger molecules gasoline / petrol for transport
Petrol for use in cars and other vehicles requires alkanes in the range from C 5 to naphta 30 to 200 C5 to C10 15 to 30 and as a feedstock
C10. To meet demand, longer alkanes from other fractions are shortened by being for petrochemicals
split. This process is known as cracking. There are two basic processes for kerosene fuel for jets,
splitting alkane chains : using heat, which is called thermal cracking and using 175 to 275 C10 to C16 10 to 15 paraffin for heating
catalysts which is called catalytic cracking. fuel for transport,
diesel oil 275 to 375 C12 to C25 15 to 25 power plants and
Reforming heating
Catalytic reforming is used to modify molecules to suit demand. Branched chain oil-fired power
alkanes are needed to increase the octane number of petrol and their synthesis can residue 375 > C25 40 to 50 stations, polishing
be done by taking a straight chain line alkane, heating it to break one of the C-C waxes, lubricating
bonds, and allowing the molecule to reform, which often produces a branched oils, bitumen on
chain. Catalyst such as platinum are used. roads
Another reforming reaction can convert straight-chain alkanes to cycloalkanes. The major fractions of crude oil and their uses

From Chemistry, Conoley and Hills, Collins Advanced Science

 The petrochemical chemistry
Questions :
1. What is the necessary condition to separate two compounds thanks to a
fractional distillation ?
2. Write down a little text to explain the fractional distillation process.
3. How can you explain that the compounds don’t have the same boiling point ?
4. According to you, do they have the same relative density ?
5. Compare the boiling point of water with the one of methane. How can you
explain this difference ?
6. Some sulphur remains after refining.
a. What compound is formed when sulphur is burnt ?
b. What environmental consequences are there when this compound is
released into the atmosphere ?
7. In which fraction will dodecane be found ?
8. Write a possible equation to show the cracking reactions of dodecane to form :
a. ethene and a straight chain alkane
b. propene and a branched chain alkane.
c. Why is it impossible to describe such reactions only giving one chemical
equation ?
9. Sometimes, dehydrogenations occur during the cracking process. Write down
the equation of the dehydrogenation of propane.
10. The first example of reforming process is sometimes called isomerisation.
Explain why.
11. Give the balanced equation illustrating the reforming of a C nH2n+2 alkane into
benzene ( C6H6 ) and hydrogen ( H2 ).
12. The alkenes obtained by cracking can react together to give very big molecules
called polymers ; then, the initial alkene is called monomer. Example :
n CH2 CH2 ... CH2 CH2 CH2 ... recorded ( CH2 CH2 )n
ethene poly(ethene)
Such reaction is called addition polymerisation because when the ethene
monomers join together in the reaction, no small molecules are eliminated. The
polymer is the only product. The ethene unit is enclosed in brackets which cut
the covalent bonds to show that we are representing the repeating unit of a
very long chain.
Remark : There are natural polymers such as starch, cellulose and proteins.
Write down the equation of the addition polymerisation giving :
a. Teflon from tetrafluoroethene ( F2C=CF2 ),
b. Polypropene from propene,
c. Polystyrene from styrene ( H2C=CH-C6H5 ),
d. Poly(chloroethene), also called PVC, from ( H 2C=CH-Cl ).
13. Do you know the uses of those polymers ?
The petrochemical chemistry
Questions :
1. What is the necessary condition to separate two compounds thanks to a
fractional distillation ?
2. Write down a little text to explain the fractional distillation process.
3. How can you explain that the compounds don’t have the same boiling point ?
4. According to you, do they have the same relative density ?
5. Compare the boiling point of water with the one of methane. How can you
explain this difference ?
6. Some sulphur remains after refining.
a. What compound is formed when sulphur is burnt ?
b. What environmental consequences are there when this compound is
released into the atmosphere ?
7. In which fraction will dodecane be found ?
8. Write a possible equation to show the cracking reactions of dodecane to form :
a. ethene and a straight chain alkane
b. propene and a branched chain alkane.
c. Why is it impossible to describe such reactions only giving one chemical
equation ?
9. Sometimes, dehydrogenations occur during the cracking process. Write down
the equation of the dehydrogenation of propane.
10. The first example of reforming process is sometimes called isomerisation.
Explain why.
11. Give the balanced equation illustrating the reforming of a C nH2n+2 alkane into
benzene ( C6H6 ) and hydrogen ( H2 ).
12. The alkenes obtained by cracking can react together to give very big molecules
called polymers ; then, the initial alkene is called monomer. Example :
n CH2 CH2 ... CH2 CH2 CH2 ... recorded ( CH2 CH2 )n
ethene poly(ethene)
Such reaction is called addition polymerisation because when the ethene
monomers join together in the reaction, no small molecules are eliminated. The
polymer is the only product. The ethene unit is enclosed in brackets which cut
the covalent bonds to show that we are representing the repeating unit of a
very long chain.
Remark : There are natural polymers such as starch, cellulose and proteins.
Write down the equation of the addition polymerisation giving :
a. Teflon from tetrafluoroethene ( F2C=CF2 ),
b. Polypropene from propene,
c. Polystyrene from styrene ( H2C=CH-C6H5 ),
 d. Poly(chloroethene), also called PVC, from ( H 2C=CH-Cl ).
13. Do you know the uses of those polymers ?
Christine RAVEL – Lycée Victor Hugo – Besançon