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- Fossil fuels are composed primarily of hydrocarbons (molecules of just carbon and hydrogen), but they contain lesser amounts nitrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and other elements as well. The precise chemical structures vary depending on the type of fossil fuel (coal, oil, or natural gas).
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Oct 10, 2023 · Fossil fuels, coal, oil and natural gas are the result of anaerobic decay of dead plants and animals laid down hundreds of millions of years ago, most of which took place well before the dinosaurs strode the earth. Fossil fuels slowly formed as further geological layers compressed and heated the dead organic matter.
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- 4.7: Fossil Fuels
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A fossil fuel[a] is a carbon compound - or hydrocarbon -containing material such as coal, oil, and natural gas, [2] formed naturally in the Earth's crust from the remains of prehistoric organisms (animals, plants and planktons), a process that occurs within geological formations.
- Fossil Fuel Chemistry Basics
- Formation
- Types of Oil
- Refining Oil
- Octane Rating
• Hydrocarbons combust in the presence of oxygen. Exothermic; once initiated proceeds by the heat it generates. Generation of greenhouse gas carbon dioxide aswell as other unwanted byproducts.
Microscopic organisms die and are buried in anoxic conditions. High molecular weight polymers called kerogens are formed from the breakdown products carbohydrates and proteins. Over millions of years, under high heat and pressure, kerogens break down into hydrocarbons through a process known as catagenisis.
Heavy oil found in Orinoco belt and Athabasca oils sands have large carbon/hydrogen ratio. Must be cracked to be made into conventional petroleum products. More difficult to mine bc greater viscosity. Oil shale, kerogens trapped in shale, can be used to make hydrocarbons by pyrolysis.
Fractional distillation to separate hydrocarbons by boiling point. Longer chain hydrocarbons and aromatics have higher boiling points.
Most combustion engines are designed to run on a mixture of octane and pentanes. High octane decreases knocking because it does not ignite without spark. Octane rating refers to a fuel with tendency to knock equal to that of a fuel of that percent octane. Does not have to be that percent.
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The second process used to increase the amount of valuable products is called reforming; it is the chemical conversion of straight-chain alkanes to either branched-chain alkanes or mixtures of aromatic hydrocarbons. Using metals such as platinum brings about the necessary chemical reactions.
Jul 31, 2024 · The precise chemical structures vary depending on the type of fossil fuel (coal, oil, or natural gas). The molecules in coal tend to be larger than those in oil and natural gas. Coal is thus solid at room temperature, oil is liquid, and natural gas is in a gaseous phase.
Petroleum contains four classes of compound: alkanes, cycloalkanes, aromatics, and heteroatomic compounds with one or more atoms of nitrogen, sulfur, and/or oxygen. In petroleum chemistry and technology, alkanes are called paraffins; cycloalkanes, naphthenes; and the heteroatomic compounds are lumped together as NSOs.
Sep 21, 2024 · fossil fuel, any of a class of hydrocarbon -containing materials of biological origin occurring within Earth’s crust that can be used as a source of energy. Fossil fuels include coal, petroleum, natural gas, oil shales, bitumens, tar sands, and heavy oils.
