How did chemistry change crude oil to useful materials?

Answer 1

Crude Oil is a mixture of various chemicals, the vast majority being 'hydrocarbons' made from Hydrogen and Carbon atoms only. When they are all mixed together, they have no particular use (crude oil without refining is pretty useless!). However,these hydrocarbon molecules form in chains a bit like necklaces, the longer the chain, the the higher the boiling point (longer chains tangle up). This means that they can be separated by using a process called 'fractional distillation'.

Once separated, each hydrocarbon fraction has different properties. In general terms, the smaller the chain, the more useful it will be. Smaller molecules would have a lower boiling point (separate more easily), be more flammable (they need less Oxygen to burn) and be less viscous (all as a result of being made from smaller molecules which don't 'tangle' together).

The longer chains like bitumen, can actually be 'cracked' into smaller chains in order to make more useful products like propane. This also forms molecules with 'double bonds'. These can actually be stuck back together to form unnaturally long molecules in a process called polymerisation. This forms molecules not found in nature which can have useful properties. Plastics and man made fibres can be made in this way.

Answer 2

Crude oil is refined through processes like distillation, cracking, and reforming in a refinery, resulting in various fractions such as gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. These fractions are further processed using chemical reactions to produce materials like plastics, lubricants, and solvents, by altering their molecular structures. The manipulation of the hydrocarbons in crude oil through chemistry allows for the creation of a wide range of useful materials for various industries.