PETROLEUM

CAS NUMBER: 8002-05-9

EC NUMBER: 232-298-5

Petroleum, also known as crude oil and oil, is a naturally occurring, yellowish-black liquid found in geological formations beneath the Earth's surface. 
Petroleum is commonly refined into various types of fuels. 

Components of petroleum are separated using a technique called fractional distillation, i.e., separation of a liquid mixture into fractions differing in boiling point by means of distillation, typically using a fractionating column. 
Petroleum consists of naturally occurring hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and may contain miscellaneous organic compounds.

The name petroleum covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crude oil and petroleum products that are made up of refined crude oil. 
A fossil fuel, petroleum is formed when large quantities of dead organisms, mostly zooplankton and algae, are buried underneath sedimentary rock and subjected to both intense heat and pressure.

Petroleum has mostly been recovered by oil drilling. Drilling is carried out after studies of structural geology, sedimentary basin analysis, and reservoir characterisation. 
Recent improvements to technologies have also led to exploitation of other unconventional reserves such as oil sands and oil shale. 

Once extracted, oil is refined and separated, most easily by distillation, into numerous products for direct use or use in manufacturing, such as gasoline (petrol), diesel and kerosene to asphalt and chemical reagents used to make plastics, pesticides and pharmaceuticals. 
Petroleum is used in manufacturing a wide variety of materials, and it is estimated that the world consumes about 100 million barrels (16 million cubic metres) each day. 

Petroleum production can be extremely profitable and was important for economic development in the 20th century, with some countries, so called "oil states", gaining significant economic and international power because of their control of oil production.
Petroleum exploitation has significant negative environmental and social consequences. 

Most significantly, extraction, refining and burning of petroleum fuels all release large quantities of greenhouse gases, so petroleum is one of the major contributors to climate change. 
Furthermore, parts of the petroleum industry actively suppressed science and policy that aimed to prevent the climate crisis. 

Other negative environmental effects include the environmental impacts of exploration and exploitation of petroleum reserves, such as oil spills, and air and water pollution at the sites of utilization. 
All of these environmental impacts have direct health consequences for humans. 

Additionally, oil has also been a source of conflict leading to both state-led-wars and other kinds of conflicts (for example, oil revenue funded the Islamic State). 
Production of petroleum is expected to reach peak oil before 2035 as global economies reduce dependencies on petroleum as part of climate change mitigation and a transition towards renewable energy and electrification.

This is expected to have significant economic impacts that stakeholders argue need to be anticipated by a just transition and addressing the stranded assets of the petroleum industry.
Petroleum is a mixture of a very large number of different hydrocarbons; the most commonly found molecules are alkanes (paraffins), cycloalkanes (naphthenes), aromatic hydrocarbons, or more complicated chemicals like asphaltenes. 

Each petroleum variety has a unique mix of molecules, which define its physical and chemical properties, like color and viscosity.
The alkanes, also known as paraffins, are saturated hydrocarbons with straight or branched chains which contain only carbon and hydrogen and have the general formula CnH2n+2. 

They generally have from 5 to 40 carbon atoms per molecule, although trace amounts of shorter or longer molecules may be present in the mixture.
The alkanes from pentane (C5H12) to octane (C8H18) are refined into gasoline, the ones from nonane (C9H20) to hexadecane (C16H34) into diesel fuel, kerosene and jet fuel. 

Alkanes with more than 16 carbon atoms can be refined into fuel oil and lubricating oil. 
At the heavier end of the range, paraffin wax is an alkane with approximately 25 carbon atoms, while asphalt has 35 and up, although these are usually cracked by modern refineries into more valuable products. 

The shortest molecules, those with four or fewer carbon atoms, are in a gaseous state at room temperature. They are the petroleum gases. 
Depending on demand and the cost of recovery, these gases are either flared off, sold as liquefied petroleum gas under pressure, or used to power the refinery's own burners. 

During the winter, butane (C4H10), is blended into the gasoline pool at high rates, because its high vapour pressure assists with cold starts. 
Liquified under pressure slightly above atmospheric, Petroleum is best known for powering cigarette lightersbut it is also a main fuel source for many developing countries. 

Propane can be liquified under modest pressure, and is consumed for just about every application relying on petroleum for energy, from cooking to heating to transportation.
The chemical structure of petroleum is heterogeneous, composed of hydrocarbon chains of different lengths. 

Because of this, petroleum may be taken to oil refineries and the hydrocarbon chemicals separated by distillation and treated by other chemical processes, to be used for a variety of purposes.
Petroleum, complex mixture of hydrocarbons that occur in Earth in liquid, gaseous, or solid form. 

Petroleum is often restricted to the liquid form, commonly called crude oil, but, as a technical term, petroleum also refers to natural gas and the viscous or solid form known as bitumen, which is found in tar sands. 
The liquid and gaseous phases of petroleum constitute the most important of the primary fossil fuels.

Petroleum, also called crude oil, is a fossil fuel. 
Like coal and natural gas, petroleum was formed from the remains of ancient marine organisms, such as plants, algae, and bacteria. 

Over millions of years of intense heat and pressure, these organic remains (fossils) transformed into carbon-rich substances we rely on as raw materials for fuel and a wide variety of products.
Petroleum is a naturally occurring liquid found beneath the earth’s surface that can be refined into fuel. 

Petroleum is a fossil fuel, meaning that it has been created by the decomposition of organic matter over millions of years. 
Petroleum is formed when large quantities of dead organisms–primarily zooplankton and algae–underneath sedimentary rock are subjected to intense heat and pressure.

Petroleum is used as fuel to power vehicles, heating units, and machines, as well as being converted into plastics and other materials. 
Because the majority of the world relies on petroleum for many goods and services, the petroleum industry is extremely powerful and is a major influence on world politics and the global economy.

Petroleum is recovered by oil drilling. 
Petroleum is most commonly refined into different types of fuels. Petroleum contains hydrocarbons of different molecular weights. 

In general, the denser the petroleum the more difficult Petroleum is to process and the less valuable Petroleum is.
Petroleum is a versatile fossil fuel that can be refined into many different products. 

Common examples include gasoline, kerosene, fuel oil, and lubricating oil. 
Petroleum is primarily used to power vehicles. 

Petroleum is used in cars, motorcycles, and other vehicles, as well as to power small engines, such as lawnmowers.
Petroleum oil is primarily used for light, such as burning in kerosene lamps, as well as for some heaters, and to make rocket fuel and jet fuel. 

Petroleum is used in heaters and furnaces to heat interior spaces. 
Lubricating oil has many uses, primarily that of a lubricant, which is meant to reduce friction.

Petroleum is also easy to transport, making its journey from extraction to refinement safe and simple. 
Petroleum can be moved across pipelines, trucks, and tankers without any issue. 

Petroleum is a stable energy source that can be used in many different ways. When compared to solar power or wind power, which are not as reliable or diverse in their uses, petroleum is far superior.
Petroleum is not a renewable energy source. 

Petroleum is a fossil fuel that took millions of years to form and there is a finite amount of petroleum available. 
Once all the petroleum is used in the world it will be gone for good.

Petroleum is a broad term that groups together a combination of organic liquids and gases that is formed after kerogen is heated and compressed over long periods of time. 
This mix can be fairly complex, but the main gaseous component of petroleum is natural gas largely methane - whereas the main liquid component is crude oil. 

Petroleum is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons, so the exact composition of petroleum is never the same.
Petroleums such as gasoline, kerosene, heating oil, and diesel fuel are all included in the definition of "petroleum".

Petroleum traps energy, first originating from the Sun, that was captured by photosynthetic plankton in ancient oceans. Just like coal, petroleum is a type of fossil fuel.
Petroleum is obtained by drilling (also called crude oil). Different oilfields produce petroleum with differing compositions. 

The mixture is separated into fractions by fractional distillation in a vertical column. 
The main fractions are: Diesel oil in the range 220–350°C, consisting mainly of C13–C25 hydrocarbons. 

Petroleum is used in diesel engines.
A naturally occurringoil that consists chiefly of hydrocarbonswith some other elements, suchas sulphur, oxygen, and nitrogen. 

Inits unrefined form petroleum isknown as crude oil (sometimes rockoil). 
Petroleum is believed to havebeen formed from the remains of livingorganisms that were deposited,together with rock particles and biochemical and chemical precipitates,in shallow depressions, chiefly in marineconditions. 

Under burial andcompaction the organic matter wentthrough a series of processes beforebeing transformed into petroleum,which migrated from the source rockto become trapped in large undergroundreservoirs beneath a layer ofimpermeable rock. 
The petroleum often floats above a layer of waterand is held under pressure beneath alayer of natural gas.

Petroleum reservoirs are discoveredthrough geological exploration:commercially important oil reservesare detected by exploratory narrowboredrilling. 
Petroleum isactually obtained by the sinking ofan oil well. 

Before Petroleum can be used Petroleum isseparated by fractional distillation inoil refineries. 
Refinery gas A mixture ofmethane, ethane, butane, andpropane used as a fuel and for makingother organic chemicals.

Petroleum isused for motor fuels and for makingother chemicals.
Kerosine (or paraffin oil) A mixtureof hydrocarbons having 11 or 12carbon atoms, boiling in the range160–250°C. 

Petroleum is a fuel for jetaircraft and for oil-fired domesticheating. 
Petroleum is also cracked to producesmaller hydrocarbons for use inmotor fuels.

Petroleum: A mixtureof hydrocarbons having 13 to 25carbon atoms, boiling in the range220–350°C. 
Petroleum is a fuel for diesel engines.The residue is a mixture of higher hydrocarbons. 

The liquid componentsare obtained by vacuum distillationand used in lubricating oils.
Petroleums are obtained by solvent extraction.
The final residue is a black tar containingfree carbon (asphalt or bitumen).

USES:

Petroleum is used to make gasoline, an important product in our everyday lives. 
Petroleum is also processed and part of thousands of different items, including tires, refrigerators, life jackets, and anesthetics.

Petroleum is a naturally occurring liquid found beneath the earth’s surface that can be refined into fuel.
Petroleum is used as fuel to power vehicles, heating units, and machines, and can be converted into plastics and other materials.

The extraction and processing of petroleum, and thus, Petroleums availability, is a major driver of the world's economy and global politics.
Petroleum is a finite product that was created over millions of years. 

Once Petroleum is used up there will be no way to replace Petroleum.
Due to the harmful effects and limited supply of petroleum, other energy sources are becoming prominent, such as solar and wind.
The uses of petroleum are many, including gasoline, fuel oil, kerosene oil, lubricating oil, plastics, which in turn are used for transportation, heating, light, lubricants, clothing, industrials, and more.

COMPOSITIONS:

Petroleum includes not only crude oil, but all liquid, gaseous and solid hydrocarbons. Under surface pressure and temperature conditions, lighter hydrocarbons methane, ethane, propane and butane exist as gases, while pentane and heavier hydrocarbons are in the form of liquids or solids. 
However, in an underground oil reservoir the proportions of gas, liquid, and solid depend on subsurface conditions and on the phase diagram of the petroleum mixture.

Petroleum well produces predominantly Petroleum, with some natural gas dissolved in Petroleum. 
Because the pressure is lower at the surface than underground, some of the gas will come out of solution and be recovered (or burned) as associated gas or solution gas. 

A gas well produces predominantly natural gas. 
However, because the underground temperature is higher than at the surface, the gas may contain heavier hydrocarbons such as pentane, hexane, and heptane in the gaseous state. 

At surface conditions these will condense out of the gas to form "natural-gas condensate", often shortened to condensate. 
Condensate resembles gasoline in appearance and is similar in composition to some volatile light crude oils.

The proportion of light hydrocarbons in the petroleum mixture varies greatly among different oil fields, ranging from as much as 97 percent by weight in the lighter oils to as little as 50 percent in the heavier oils and bitumens.
The hydrocarbons in crude oil are mostly alkanes, cycloalkanes and various aromatic hydrocarbons, while the other organic compounds contain nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur, and trace amounts of metals such as iron, nickel, copper and vanadium. 
Many oil reservoirs contain live bacteria.

INDUSTRY:

The petroleum industry, also known as the oil industry or the oil patch, includes the global processes of exploration, extraction, refining, transportation (often by oil tankers and pipelines), and marketing of petroleum products. 
The largest volume products of the industry are fuel oil and gasoline (petrol). 

Petroleum is also the raw material for many chemical products, including pharmaceuticals, solvents, fertilizers, pesticides, synthetic fragrances, and plastics. 
The industry is usually divided into three major components: upstream, midstream, and downstream. Upstream regards exploration and extraction of crude oil, midstream encompasses transportation and storage of crude, and downstream concerns refining crude oil into various end products.

Petroleum is vital to many industries, and is necessary for the maintenance of industrial civilization in its current configuration, making it a critical concern for many nations. Oil accounts for a large percentage of the world’s energy consumption, ranging from a low of 32% for Europe and Asia, to a high of 53% for the Middle East.
Other geographic regions' consumption patterns are as follows: South and Central America (44%), Africa (41%), and North America (40%). 

The world consumes 36 billion barrels (5.8 km³) of oil per year, with developed nations being the largest consumers. 
The United States consumed 18% of the oil produced in 2015.

The production, distribution, refining, and retailing of petroleum taken as a whole represents the world's largest industry in terms of dollar value.
Governments such as the United States government provide a heavy public subsidy to petroleum companies, with major tax breaks at virtually every stage of oil exploration and extraction, including the costs of oil field leases and drilling equipment.
In recent years, enhanced oil recovery techniques — most notably multi-stage drilling and hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") — have moved to the forefront of the industry as this new technology plays a crucial and controversial role in new methods of oil extraction.

FORMATIONS:

The formation of petroleum occurred hundreds of millions of years ago during a period known as the Carboniferous period. 
During this time period, dead organic material accumulated and was decomposed by bacteria. 

Sediment - mostly mud and sand - then covered this material, creating high temperature and pressure conditions resulting in the creation of hydrocarbon molecules. 
The resulting materials were either liquid, gaseous, or solid.

For more specific explanations of the formation of different components of petroleum, see the formation of oil or the formation of natural gas. 
Petroleum exists in many sedimentary rock formations, and because of its fluid nature it is able to migrate through stone and collect in porous rocks.

If this petroleum within the porous, permeable sedimentary rock is contained here by a layer of impermeable rock then a trap is formed. 
The movement of geological structures and force of gravity cause these accumulations - called reservoirs - to lie beneath land or oceans.

SYNONYM:

Isoamylhydride
Butane, 2-methyl-
iso-Pentane
1,1,2-Trimethylethane
Dimethylethylmethane
Ethyldimethylmethane
1,1-dimethylpropane
iso-C5H12
ISO PENTANE
methylbutane
Butanes
2-methyl-butane
solvent isopentane
95% isopentane
99% isopentane
NSC 119476
UNII-ZH67814I0O
blowing agent isopentane
foaming agent Isopentane
isopentane(2-methylbutane)
(CH3)2CH-CH2-CH3
CHEBI:30362
ZH67814I0O
2-Methylbutane, ReagentPlus(R), >=99%
HSDB 618
EINECS 201-142-8
ipentane
pentane blend
pentane blends
Mixed butanes
Field butane
AI3-28787
Butane (petroleum)