Crude oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons - Edexcel - GCSE Chemistry Combined Science - Question 3 - 2016 - Paper 1
Question 3
Crude oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons.
It can be separated into fractions.
(a) Which of these mixtures shows formulae of substances that could be in the gaseous fr... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Crude oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons - Edexcel - GCSE Chemistry Combined Science - Question 3 - 2016 - Paper 1
Step 1
Which of these mixtures shows formulae of substances that could be in the gaseous fraction of crude oil?
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Answer
The gaseous fraction of crude oil mainly consists of light hydrocarbons, which are typically alkanes. Among the options:
A: CₙH₂ₙ, CₙH₂ₙ, Br, CₙHₙO - includes bromine and oxygen, not ideal for gaseous
B: CₙH₂ₙ, CₙHₙBr, CₙHₙO - same issue as A
C: CₙHₙ, CₙH₂ₙ, CₙHₙO - suitable hydrocarbons but includes oxygen
D: CₙH₂ₙ, Br, CₙHₙO - unsuitable due to Br and O
Thus, C is the best option, as it encompasses hydrocarbons without Br or O, suggesting they could exist in a gaseous state.
Step 2
State which oil well contains the greatest combined total of diesel oil and fuel oil.
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Answer
To find the total of diesel oil and fuel oil for each well:
Oil Well A: Diesel oil (7) + Fuel oil (26) = 33
Oil Well B: Diesel oil (10) + Fuel oil (28) = 38
Oil Well C: Diesel oil (16) + Fuel oil (30) = 46
The highest total is from Oil Well C.
Step 3
State which oil well produces a crude oil containing the highest percentage of the high boiling point fractions.
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Answer
High boiling point fractions refer to diesel oil, fuel oil, and bitumen traditionally. We analyze:
Oil Well A: Total of high boiling point = 7 (diesel) + 26 (fuel) + 58 (bitumen) = 91% of crude oil
Oil Well B: Total = 10 + 28 + 27 = 65%
Oil Well C: Total = 16 + 30 + 1 = 47%
Thus, Oil Well A has the highest percentage of the high boiling point fractions.