Obtaining useful substances from crude oil

Long thick gloopy molecules form things like tar which have limited uses
1. However, these long molecules can be shortened by a process called cracking
Cracking
1. Thermal decomposition reaction
  1. Breaking down molecules by heating them
2. How to do it
  1. Heat the long-chain hydrogen to vaporise it
    1. The vapour passes over a powdered catalyst (aluminium oxide)
      1. The long chain molecules 'crack' on the surface of the catalyst
        Shorter alkane
        Can be used for fuels like parrafin and petrol
        Alkene
        Make plastics
        C3H6
        Propene
        H-C-C=C
        Prop-1-ene
        H H H
        H H
        React with bromine water, declourising it
        C2H4
        Propene
    2. Mix the vapour with steam at a very high temperature

Resource summary

	Created by toby_brown almost 12 years ago