Year 11 - Science
Fractional distillation of crude oil
Using Earth's resources
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit covers crude oil, its role as a hydrocarbon source, and separation by fractional distillation. It explores cracking, metal reactivity, and extraction methods, including biological alternatives. Emphasis is on recycling, life-cycle assessments, and evaluating decisions.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to describe how crude oil can be separated into fractions using fractional distillation, and describe the differences in properties between fractions.
Key Notes
- Crude oil is a non-renewable mixture of different hydrocarbons and impurities.
- Crude oil can be separated into groups of hydrocarbon molecules of similar size, called fractions.
- Most of the hydrocarbon molecules in crude oil are alkanes.
- Smaller hydrocarbon molecules have lower boiling points, are more flammable, and are less viscous.
- Fractions of crude oil include petroleum gases, petrol, kerosene, diesel oil, heavy fuel oil, and bitumen.
Vocabulary To Learn
- crude oil: Crude oil is a fossil fuel formed over millions of years from dead plankton. It is a mixture of different hydrocarbons and impurities.
- hydrocarbon: Hydrocarbons are covalent compounds containing hydrogen and carbon atoms only.
- viscosity: Viscosity is how easily a liquid flows. The higher the viscosity, the less easily a liquid flows.
- fractional distillation: Fractional distillation is a method used to separate miscible fluids (liquids or gases) with different boiling points into individual components (fractions).
- fraction: A fraction is a part of a mixture that has been separated by fractional distillation.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Some students may think that fractional distillation produces new substances from crude oil.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the scientific idea in this lesson using two key points.
Crude oil is a non-renewable mixture of different hydrocarbons and impurities. Crude oil can be separated into groups of hydrocarbon molecules of similar size, called fractions.
2. Define this scientific word and use it in context. 'crude oil'
Crude oil is a fossil fuel formed over millions of years from dead plankton. It is a mixture of different hydrocarbons and impurities. Include the word in a full scientific explanation, not as a single label.
3. Correct this common scientific misunderstanding.
Mistake: Some students may think that fractional distillation produces new substances from crude oil. Correction: It is important to emphasise that crude oil is a mixture, and the process of fractional distillation is to separate out the different hydrocarbons based on their boiling points.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Alternative methods of extracting metals: phytoextraction and bioleaching Study Guide
- Alternative methods of extracting metals: phytomining and bioleaching Study Guide
- Cracking fractions of crude oil Study Guide
- Developing a reactivity series for metals Study Guide
- Earth's resources and sustainable development Study Guide
- Extraction of metals by reduction Study Guide
- Life cycle assessments (LCAs) Study Guide
- Polymer structures Study Guide
- Redox reactions Study Guide
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