Chemistry (school) · Part 08
Carbon chemistry and the Earth
Crude oil, fuels, plastics, and how the atmosphere and climate work.
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- Crude oilA thick dark liquid found underground, made from the remains of ancient sea creatures. It is a mixture of many hydrocarbons and is a non-renewable resource.
- HydrocarbonA compound made only of hydrogen and carbon atoms. Most fuels are hydrocarbons.
- Fractional distillationA way to separate crude oil into fractions, groups of hydrocarbons with similar boiling points. The oil is heated, and the vapours rise up a column and condense at different heights.
- AlkaneA hydrocarbon with only single bonds between carbon atoms. The general formula is CnH2n+2. Alkanes are saturated.
- AlkeneA hydrocarbon with a carbon-carbon double bond. The general formula is CnH2n. Alkenes are unsaturated and more reactive than alkanes.
- CrackingBreaking large hydrocarbon molecules into smaller, more useful ones, using heat and a catalyst. It makes alkanes and alkenes.
- PolymerA very long molecule made of many small repeating units (monomers) joined together. Plastics are polymers.
- CombustionBurning a substance in oxygen, which gives out energy. A hydrocarbon burns completely to make carbon dioxide and water.
- Greenhouse effectGases such as carbon dioxide and methane trap heat in the atmosphere, keeping Earth warm. More of these gases causes extra warming, called global warming.
- Earth's atmosphereThe layer of gases around Earth. Today it is about 78 percent nitrogen and 21 percent oxygen, with small amounts of argon and carbon dioxide.