Why would an oil company want to crack hydrocarbons?

Answer 1

Cracking of crude oil is needed because it gives the item more uses. Also, it provides a larger supply of the item, it is essential to crack crude oil because otherwise we would have run out years ago.

Answer 2

by cracking hydrocarbons which are mostly alkanes, shorter alkanes can be created, which are better at igniting, and less viscous, this means they are usefuel fuels and so more valuble than the fractions containg longer chain alkanes, which there before cracking. (things that were produced before cracking but after the fractional distillation stage, are things like parrafim)

(cracking also produces alkenes which are used for plastics, so it is also useful in that way, but most useful for fuel. This is because there is more demand for fuel and if there was no cracking the demand could not be met)

the method of cracking:

Cracking involves breaking covalent bonds that look like this, C-C, the hydrocarbons are then heated to vaporise them, they are then passed over a hot catalyst. this means cracking is a thermal decomposition reaction. however much energy is needed to break covalent bonds between the atoms.

You are also able to test for alkanes and alkenes is bromine water. If something is unsaturated (alkene) then if it is places in bromine water, which is bright orange it will turn colourless, but if a saturated substance is there (alkane) then it will not chnage. This therefore shows whether a substance is an alkene or alkane.

This shows cracking a hydrocarbon, --> that symbol represents an arrow, symbolising heat being used.

H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

H-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-H --> C=C + H-C-C-C-C-C-C-H

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H

(This is a longer alkane) (alkene, used (Shorter Alkane, used 4 fuels)

for plastics)

Answer 3

The long chain hydro carbons of the crude oil are heated differently depending oh which hydrocarbon you want to get. They are usually heated until turned into vapor then that vapor is passed on to a catalyst which speeds up the reaction to form those hydro carbons that one wishes for.

Answer 4

Larger hydrocarbons are the most abundant compounds found within crude oil, however the smaller hydrocarbons like petrol are the ones with the highest demand.

By cracking larger hydrocarbons oil companies can produce larger amounts of the smaller fractions, from exactly the same amount of crude oil, saving them money and resources.

Answer 5

It is because before the other reactions the molecules of the carbon should be small which makes the reaction much easier

Answer 6

Due to the crude oil present in the petrol, it is really disastrous regarding the high distillation of the fractions of fossil fuels present in the petroleum. =)