Chemistry Connection:
What is petroleum?
Petroleum is made up of a mixture of hydrocarbons. It is found under the surface of the Earth and can be separated into fractions (natural gas, kerosene, gasoline...) The word petroleum comes from the Latin petra and oleum meaning "rock" and "oil". Is petroleum toxic?
Crude oil is made up of a mixture of different organic compounds, many of which are toxic and carcinogenic. Furthermore, crude oil is know to cause birth defects. Gasoline and crude oil have benzene in them which is know to cause leukemia Benzene also lowers the number of white blood cells, making it easier to get infections. All in all petroleum is most definitely toxic for animals, and for humans. Why does it float?
Petroleum floats because liquids of different densities do not mix. The lighter liquid floats to the top, while the heavier sinks to the bottom. Petroleum is less dense than the water, and therefore the petroleum floats to the top. |
What is the structure of petroleum?
The chemical structure of petroleum is heterogeneous. It is composed of hydrocarbon chains of all different lengths. This is the reason that petroleum is taken to refineries. At the refineries hydrocarbon chemicals are separated by distillation.
The chemical structure of petroleum is heterogeneous. It is composed of hydrocarbon chains of all different lengths. This is the reason that petroleum is taken to refineries. At the refineries hydrocarbon chemicals are separated by distillation.