BVF 1113 INTRODUCTION TO OIL &

GAS MAINTENANCE FACILITIES

CHAPTER 2: Introduction to Chemistry of

Petroleum

By: Dr. Nurul Sa’aadah Sulaiman

Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering Technology
Objectives
• Describe petroleum and its composition
• classify hydrocarbons as alkanes, alkenes,
alkynes, cycloalkanes, or aromatics (arenes)
• apply the homologous series to organic molecules
with 1-10 carbons

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Three Main Activities In O&G Industry
 Petroleum and their composition
What Are Fossil Fuels ?

Hydrocarbon fuels (in either solid, liquid or gas phases) formed

from organic matters undergoing a series of carbon biological,
physical and chemical transformation for millions of years

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 Petroleum Formation

Animals and plants died

at the bottom of the ocean
and buried under layers of
sedimentary rock

Over the time, heat &

pressure “cooked” the
organic material

Drilling through layers of

sand, silt and rock to
discover viable petroleum
accumulation.

Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121935927@N06/13598599604

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 Petroleum and their composition

i) Definition of Petroleum
PETRA = The Greek word for ROCK
OLEUM = The Latin word for OIL
PETROLEUM is referred to as rock oil since it
is mostly found in rocks

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PETROLEUM
Crude oil refers to hydrocarbon mixtures produced from
underground reservoirs that are liquid at normal
atmospheric pressure and temperature.
Natural gas refers to hydrocarbon mixtures that are
gaseous, at normal atmospheric pressure and
temperature – the gas mixtures consist largely of
methane – the smallest natural hydrocarbon molecule
(CH4).

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 Petroleum and their composition

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 Petroleum and their composition

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Natural gas composition from the well

Heavier HC Acid gases

• Propane, Butane • H2S, CO2, mercaptans
Methane • Higher order HC –
alkenes & aromatics

Other gases Other components

• N2, Helium • Water
• Trace pollutants:
Mercury & Chlorides

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 Petroleum and their composition

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What are hydrocarbons used
for?

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What are hydrocarbons?
• A hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting
of only hydrogen and carbon atoms.
• Carbon has 4 electrons, which means it has exactly
4 bonds to make, to be stable.

Simplest Hydrocarbon

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Classes of hydrocarbons

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 i) Alkanes
• Saturated hydrocarbons (alkanes) are the simplest of the
hydrocarbon species.
• They are composed entirely of single bonds and are
saturated with hydrogen.
• The general formula for saturated hydrocarbons is
CnH2n+2 (assuming non-cyclic structures).
• These are the least reactive of the hydrocarbons.

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Example
**Isomer
• Methane, ethane, and propane are the only
alkanes uniquely defined by their molecular
formula.
• Different compounds that have the same molecular
formula but differ in structure are called isomers.
Isomers do not necessarily share similar
properties.

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Cycloalkanes
• Cycloalkanes are hydrocarbons containing one or
more carbon rings to which hydrogen atoms are
attached. The prefix "cyclo" is added to the name
to communicate the ring structure. The general
formula for a saturated hydrocarbon containing
one ring is CnH2n.

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ii) Alkenes
• Those with double bond are called alkenes and
have the general formula CnH2n (assuming
non-cyclic structures).

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Examples:
What is the formula for this structure?
iii) Alkynes
• Those containing one or more triple bonds are
called alkynes and have general formula CnH2n-2.

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iv) Aromatics/Arenes
• Aromatic hydrocarbons, also known as arenes, are
hydrocarbons that have at least one aromatic ring
(benzene ring).
• Aromatic compounds contain the benzene unit.
Benzene itself is composed of six C atoms in a ring,
with alternating single and double C–C bonds:

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 Class
(Aromatics)

Carbon-carbon
bonding

Example

Name

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Naming Hydrocarbons

Single bond

Double bond

Triple bond

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 Exercise
Formula Chemical name Structure
Propane
C 6 H6
CH3CH2CH2CH2CH2CH3
C 5 H8 Pentyne

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Physical properties
 Non-HC compounds
■ Sulphur
■ Oxygen
■ Nitrogen
■ Carbon Dioxide
■ Other compounds
■ Inorganic compounds