Fractional Distillation of Crude Oil Essay Example for Free

Fractional Distillation of Crude embrocate EssayAim To investigate the substances assumption off at different temperatures from crude oil (petroleum) mixture. tool* Fractional Distillation trumperyware and thermometer* Clamp stand x 2* Conical flask* hand over of cold water* Rubber tubes x 2* Test tube rack* Small glass test tubes x 5* Rubber stopper x 5* Evaporating wash-hand basin* Micro bunsen burner Burner and bench mat* Wooden Splint* Stopwatch* Boiling st nonpareils* Crude Oil supply order1. Set up the clamps stands and the fractionating glassware as shown in the diagram.2. concern the rubber tubes to the two open tubes of the condenser. 3. Connect the other end of the rubber tubing to a water tap and let the other whiz flow into a basin. Turn on the tap.4. Place two boiling stones into the conical flask and because pour in the crude oil into the flask. Place the flask right above the micro-burner as shown in the diagram.5. Heat the crude oil mixture slowly. Record at which temperature one of the compounds in the mixture evaporate, and and then collect it in the small test tube after it passes through the condenser.6. Repeat step 5 until maximum temperature has been r all(prenominal)ed and/or no more compounds evaporate.7. Test the compounds which were collected. Light them in an evaporating basin and record the clip it takes to run out.ResultsData Table of Results of Hydrocarbons testedHydrocarbon CompoundBoiling Point Range (C)ColourviscosityPentane36 40ColourlessVery economic crisis ViscosityHexane66 69ColourlessLow ViscosityHeptane90 94Very slightly cloudyViscous liquidKerosene (Paraffin) 250 browned blackHigh ViscosityConclusionThese results prove to us that starting linely, crude oil being a mixture of several hydrocarbons, that the mixture provided was a simulation. Secondly, there are noticeable trends in the hydrocarbons. As the molecules gets heavier and heavier, by which I mean that we go from pentane to Hexane and so on, t he viscosity of the compound increases, as well as the snip taken for it to burn up completely. The boiling point also increases.These hydrocarbons belong to the first organic homologous series Alkanes. Alkane molecules are completely saturated and each carbon soupcon has at least 2 hydrogen atoms disposed to it. Apart from the two end carbon atoms, the other ones are attached to two other carbon atoms each. A covalent bond between a carbon atom and a hydrogen atom is strong, and a bond between two carbon atoms is also strong. It and so takes a lot of energy to overcome this bond, and hence a higher temperature and more time is take to break these compounds apart. The more carbon atoms an alkane possesses, the more energy is needed to break it apart. This explains the increasing boiling points, and is also one of the principal(prenominal) reasons why hydrocarbons are used as fuels.Kerosene was the only one of the four hydrocarbons which could not be heated to its boiling point and hence the temperature recorded is the one that was given to us. It did, however, last the longest when it was burned. Therefore that result coincides with the one that was given to us. Its other properties which could be verified behave given us further proof of the fact that its temperature is higher than the other hydrocarbons.Also related to the viscosity, the encumbrance of each hydrocarbon also increased as the viscosity increased. By the time kerosene was being handled, a really wide margin of difference could be felt from pentane.EvaluationWeaknessImprovement1The equipment available was not enough to determine the boiling point of KeroseneGet a big burner and heat the kerosene to its boiling point2The difference in viscosity between the first two hydrocarbons was hard to tellMeasure the poise of the two compounds and record the difference3The evaporating basin in which the hydrocarbons were heated was the same all throughoutUse a different evaporating basin for each c ompounds so that the heat from the previous test does not affect the next test4The main mixture provided to us was not actual crude oil, simply a simulated substituteTo tack all of the compounds found in crude oil use a mixture which contains all of them miscellanea of obvious