What is the chemical formula for crude oil?

Answer 1

The basic process of refining crude oil into products is a physical separation, not a chemical reaction. A distillation column (also called pipestill) separates different components in the crude oil based on their differences in boiling point. No chemical equation is appropriate because there is (almost) no chemical reaction i.e. there is no change to the chemical bonds.

I say 'almost' because there is a relatively small number of chemical reactions (e.g. chloride ions attacking steel pipework; thermal cracking of long-chain hydrocarbons). However, these chemical reactions are undesirable and are minimised as far as possible.

Answer 2

Petroleum is a mixture of a very large number of different hydrocarbons; the most commonly found molecules are alkanes (linear or branched), cycloalkanes, aromatic hydrocarbons, or more complicated chemicals like asphaltenes. Each petroleum variety has a unique mix of molecules, which define its physical and chemical properties, like color and viscosity. The alkanes, also known as paraffins, are saturated hydrocarbons with straight or branched chains which contain only carbon and hydrogen and have the general formula CnH2n+2 They generally have from 5 to 40 carbon atoms per molecule, although trace amounts of shorter or longer molecules may be present in the mixture. The alkanes from pentane (C5H12) to octane (C8H18) are refined into gasoline (petrol), the ones from nonane (C9H20) to hexadecane (C16H34) into diesel fuel and kerosene (primary component of many types of jet fuel), and the ones from hexadecane upwards into fuel oil and lubricating oil. At the heavier end of the range, paraffin wax is an alkane with approximately 25 carbon atoms, while asphalt has 35 and up, although these are usually cracked by modern refineries into more valuable products. The shortest molecules, those with four or fewer carbon atoms, are in a gaseous state at room temperature. They are the petroleum gases. Depending on demand and the cost of recovery, these gases are either flared off, sold as liquified petroleum gas under pressure, or used to power the refinery's own burners. During the winter, Butane (C4H10), is blended into the gasoline pool at high rates, because butane's high vapor pressure assists with cold starts. Liquified under pressure slightly above atmospheric, it is best known for powering cigarette lighters, but it is also a main fuel source for many developing countries. Propane can be liquified under modest pressure, and is consumed for just about every application relying on petroleum for energy, from cooking to heating to transportation. The cycloalkanes, also known as naphthenes, are saturated hydrocarbons which have one or more carbon rings to which hydrogen atoms are attached according to the formula CnH2n. Cycloalkanes have similar properties to alkanes but have higher boiling points. The aromatic hydrocarbons are unsaturated hydrocarbons which have one or more planar six-carbon rings called benzene rings, to which hydrogen atoms are attached with the formula CnHn. They tend to burn with a sooty flame, and many have a sweet aroma. Some are carcinogenic. These different molecules are separated by fractional distillation at an oil refinery to produce gasoline, jet fuel, kerosene, and other hydrocarbons. For example 2,2,4-trimethylpentane (isooctane), widely used in gasoline, has a chemical formula of C8H18 and it reacts with oxygen exothermically: The amount of various molecules in an oil sample can be determined in laboratory. The molecules are typically extracted in a solvent, then separated in a gas chromatograph, and finally determined with a suitable detector, such as a flame ionization detector or a mass spectrometer. Incomplete combustion of petroleum or gasoline results in production of toxic byproducts. Too little oxygen results in carbon monoxide. Due to the high temperatures and high pressures involved, exhaust gases from gasoline combustion in car engines usually include nitrogen oxides which are responsible for creation of photochemical smog

Answer 3

The chemical formula for crude oil is generally expressed as CnH2n+2, where n represents the number of carbon atoms present in the hydrocarbon molecules.

Answer 4

It depends on the oil.

Fossil fuel? Baby oil? Vegetable oil? Sunflower oil? - Re-ask the question with the missing information.

Answer 5

Crude oil is a mixture and not a compound, therefore it does not have a chemical formula. Only compounds have chemical formulas.

Answer 6

Crudre oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons and other organics.

Answer 7

The process of refining oil is physical rather than chemical; it is called fractional distillation and it is not described by an equation.

Answer 8

Way too complicated to attempt to list here. Crude oil is a mixture of a wide variety of compounds.

Answer 9

Oil is a mixture of many compounds, each with a different chemical formula.

Answer 10

it makes refining do stuff