Petroleum and Alkanes

... Petroleum and Alkanes Fractional distillation Petroleum refining is the process of separating the many compounds present in crude petroleum. The principle which is used is that the longer the carbon chain, the higher the temperature at which the compounds will boil. The crude petroleum is heated and changed into a gas. The gases are passed through a distillation column which becomes cooler as the height increases. When a compound in the gaseous state cools below its boiling point, it condenses into a liquid. The liquids may be drawn off the distilling column at various heights. The boiling points of organic compounds can give important clues to other physical properties. A liquid boils when its vapor pressure is equal to the atmospheric pressure. Vapor pressure is determined by the kinetic energy of molecules. Kinetic energy is related to temperature and the mass and velocity of the molecules. When the temperature reaches the boiling

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