What is oil?
Oil and natural gas together make petroleum. Petroleum, which is Latin for “rock oil,” is a fossil fuel, meaning it was made naturally from decaying prehistoric plant and animal remains. It is a mixture of hundreds of different hydrocarbons—molecules containing hydrogen and carbon—that exist sometimes as a liquid (crude oil) and sometimes as a vapor (natural gas). Hydrocarbons are typically made from the remains of dinosaurs, pre-historic sea creatures and vegetation that have been buried in the earth for millions of years.
Hydrocarbons
Hydrocarbons are chemical compounds that contain only hydrogen and carbon. They are most often used as fuels that produce energy in the form of heat. Hydrocarbons are combustible and are the main components of fossil fuels such as petroleum, coal, and natural gas. Hydrocarbons come in many lengths and structures, from straight chains to branching chains to rings. Hydrocarbons contain a backbone of carbon atoms, called a carbon skeleton. The hydrogen atoms attach to the backbone. Refineries and petrochemical plants separate hydrocarbons into different chemical groups and chemically cross-linking hydrocarbon chains to make many substances such as synthetic rubber, nylon, and plastic containers.
Crude Oil
Crude oil comes in many forms. It varies in color, from clear to tar black, and in viscosity, from liquid to almost solid. Usually it is black, but green, red, or brown oils are not uncommon. The liquid crude oil comes straight from the ground. It is dark and sticky and will condensate, or evaporate easily, if it is clear and volatile. The hydrocarbons in crude oil have either ring- or chain-shaped molecules.
Light and Heavy Oil
Thin and volatile oils, or crude oils that readily evaporate, are called “light oils.” These oils float easily on water. Heavy oil is any oil that does not flow easily. Some heavy oils are so dense that they sink, rather than float, in water (except sea water, which has a higher density than fresh water).
Bitumen/Tar/Asphalt
Sometimes underground oil seeps up to the surface. Exposed to the air, its most volatile components evaporate, leaving a black ooze or lump. When it is solid and sticky like toffee, it is called asphalt. When it is like syrup or molasses, it is called bitumen. These forms are also referred to as pitch or tar.
Oil Mixture
Oil is primarily 84% carbon and 14% hydrogen combined as chemical compounds called hydrocarbons. The three main types of oil hydrocarbons are:
Alkanes
Aromatics
Naphthenes
The general formula for alkanes is CnH2n+2. The simplest hydrocarbon/alkane is methane, CH4.
Formulas of well-known alkanes are :
Name
Formula
Methane CH4
Ethane C2H6
Propane C3H8
Butane C4H10
Pentane C5H12
Different sources of oil throughout the world have different levels of these hydrocarbons. For example, Saudi heavy crude oil is much higher in alkanes than many other crude oils.
Natural Gas
Natural gas is a combustible mixture of hydrocarbon gases. When burned, it provides a great deal of energy. Unlike other fossil fuels, natural gas is clean burning and emits lower levels of potentially harmful byproducts into the air. While natural gas is formed primarily of methane, it can also include ethane, propane, butane, and pentane. It can be found alone or with oil deposits. Oil contains some compounds that are so volatile that they easily evaporate, forming natural gas, and some oil deposits have such a high proportion that they are virtually all gas.
What is oil?
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