PETROCHEMICAL

SYNTHESIS
 Learning intention I am learning that:
 In compounds containing carbon-hydrogen bonds (known as organic
compounds), the carbon atoms bind to one another through single,
double or triple covalent bonds to form chains or rings.

Success criteria I can:

 Summarise the petrochemical synthesis process
 Explain what increases a compounds octane number
 Describe why alternative fuels are necessary to investigate
PETROL AND ITS USES
Petroleum (petrol) is an important resource, in addition to being
used as a fuel petrol is also used as the basis for plastics,
medicines and fertilisers.
What is petrol used for?
PETROL AND CRUDE OIL
Petrol is a mixture of many organic molecules obtained from
crude oil.
Crude oil contains a range of hydrocarbons varying in size and
structure. It can include straight and branched alkanes, alkenes
and cyclic hydrocarbons, it can also includes some sulfur
compounds.
Where is petrol obtained from?
Crude oil is converted into petrol through the following steps:
What are the four steps involved in petrochemical synthesis?
FRACTIONAL DISTILLATION
Different organic compounds have different boiling points. Fractional
distillation separates components from crude oil by their boiling
point.

Crude oil is boiled. Molecules with a low boiling point are converted
into gases first and rise to the top of the column. Here they cool down
enough to condense back into a liquid where they are separated out.
Each component still consists of a mixture of hydrocarbons which
have similar boiling points.
What is fractional distillation?
OCTANE RATING
An octane rating is a standard measure of the performance of an engine or
fuel. The higher the octane number, the more compression the fuel can
withstand before igniting. Octane numbers allow us to compare fuels.
In Australia "regular" unleaded fuel has an ON of 91 and "premium"
unleaded has an ON of 95.
After Crude oil has been distilled the petrol produced has too low an
octane rating to be commercially used. Internal combustion motors require
an octane number in the 90s to get the maximum energy from the fuel.
Low rating petrol can spontaneously self-combust without an ignition
spark.
Is a higher or lower octane rating desired?
The composition of petrol can be adjusted through the processes of
isomerisation, reforming cracking and blending. These processes can
improve the octane number of the petrol mix.
CRACKING
Cracking is the process of breaking large hydrocarbons into smaller ones.
Cracking increases the proportion of petrol that can be obtained from
crude oil.
Smaller alkane have higher octane numbers so ‘cracking’ large
hydrocarbons into shorted one’s can improve the ON of petrol. However,
smaller chains are more volatile, causing them to vaporise and be lost
before entering the combustion chamber of the engine.
There are two main processes of cracking: catalytic cracking and thermal
cracking.
CATALYTIC CRACKING
Catalytic cracking involves breaking high MW compounds into low MW
compounds in order to increase the output of high demand products
This process occurs in the presence of catalysts, in this instance the
catalyst is an inorganic compound called zeolites.
THERMAL CRACKING
Thermal cracking is a method of cracking hydrocarbons without the use of
a catalysts. Steam is used to decompose large hydrocarbons into smaller
ones.

Cracking once again produces a variety of hydrocarbons so these smaller

molecules are subjected to the process of fractional distillation again to
separate them out.
What is cracking?
REFORMING
Reforming increases the yield and
improves the quality of high
octane petrols.

Reforming involves both

isomerisation and cyclisation
reactions.
What is reforming?
ISOMERISATION
To keep volatility of fuel high enough whilst still having a short chain
length, more branched chains are produced.
The reorganisation of straight chains into branched ones is called
isomerisation.
What is isomerisation?
CYCLISATION
Cyclisation is the reorganising
of straight chains into rings.
Rings have a higher octane
number than their straight
chain equivalents.
What is cyclisation?
What factors increase octane number?
 DRAW AND NAME
ISOMERS FOR…
•Octane •3,4-Dimethylhexane
•2-Methylheptane •3-Ethylhexane
Octane •3-Methylheptane
•4-Methylheptane
•2,2,3-Trimethylpentane
•2,2,4-Trimethylpentane
•2,2-Dimethylhexane •2,3,3-Trimethylpentane

C8H18 •2,3-Dimethylhexane
•2,4-Dimethylhexane
•2,5-Dimethylhexane
•2,3,4-Trimethylpentane
•2-Methyl-3-ethylpentane
•3-Methyl-3-ethylpentane
•3,3-Dimethylhexane •Tetramethylbutane
18 isomers
By applying the general rule ‘the shorter the chain, the higher the
octane rating’ which isomers of octane would have the highest
octane number?

2,2,4-trimethylpentane
BLENDING
Blending is the process of adding components to a petrol mix to improve
its octane rating.
Why does methanol have a higher octane number than ethanol?
What is blending?
Summarise the petrochemical synthesis process.
DISADVANTAGES OF PETROL
When combusted, petrol produces large amounts of carbon dioxide.
During incomplete combustion carbon monoxide is also produced, as a
result petrol is very polluting.

The pollution created by petrol, in addition to its diminishing supplies and

rising costs, is causing alternative fuels to be investigated.
ETHANOL AS AN ALTERNATIVE
Ethanol has been identified as a possible alternative.
Ethanol is produced by the fermentation of starches and sugars and can be
easily converted into ethene. Ethene is one of the main components
present in crude oils and is the basis of all polymers.
HYDROGEN AS AN ALTERNATIVE
Hydrogen is another possible alternative.
When combusted, hydrogen produces water (a non-pollutant).
As a gas, hydrogen has a relatively low energy value. To make hydrogen a
viable fuel source, it would need to be stored as a liquid or compressed into
a gas, packed into a small space and be able to be delivered to a motor at a
fast pace.
This is achievable but it is costly.
Why is it important to look into alternative fuels?
Identify an alternative fuel.
 Learning intention I am learning that:
 In compounds containing carbon-hydrogen bonds (known as organic
compounds), the carbon atoms bind to one another through single,
double or triple covalent bonds to form chains or rings.

CAN WE DO THIS?
Success criteria I can:
 Summarise the petrochemical synthesis process
 Explain what increases a compounds octane number
 Describe why alternative fuels are necessary to investigate