What is crude oil? Hydrocarbon classes that are included in crude oil consist of paraffins, aromatics, napthenes which are also called cycloalkanes, and other hydrocarbons, which include Alkenes, Alkynes, and Dienes. Each class of hydrocarbons has different properties. Paraffins can be hydrocarbons that are straight molecules or they can be hydrocarbon molecules which are branched chain formation. This class of hydrocarbons can be in either liquid form or gas form when stored at room temperature, depending on the molecules. Paraffins include butane, ethane, hexane, methane, propane, and pentane, among others. Aromatics are hydrocarbons that consist of ringed molecular structures, although there can be one ring or many involved. Each ring holds six atoms of carbons, and the bond between these atoms alternate between a single bond and a double bond. These hydrocarbons are usually in liquid form, and include napthelene and benzene. Napthenes are very similar to aromatics in structure, however there are only single bonds occurring between the atoms of carbon. The other hydrocarbon class includes all hydrocarbons that do not fit into the first three classes.

What is crude oil? Crude oil is an energy source derived from fossil fuel, and this raw resource must be processed and refined to be usable. Because crude oil is a fossil fuel, using it as an energy source can cause harmful emissions and environmental pollution and damage. Because crude oil is high in carbon, so are all the products made from this resource. When oil products are burned, just like with any fossil fuel, harmful sulfur and carbon emissions, as well as other pollutants, are released into the air. This contributes to global warming and damages the earth. Crude oil has been used for hundreds of years as an energy source, but this does not mean this trend should continue. Instead of relying on crude oil and other fossil fuels to meet our energy needs, we need to find renewable alternative energy sources, like biomass energy and other safer options. Crude oil is a limited resource that takes the earth millions of years to create, and the forecasts state we will run out of recoverable crude oil within one hundred years. This means that crude oil is not an answer to future energy needs, and other resources which are clean and sustainable need to be used instead.

One Response to “What is Crude Oil?”

1. 1
   Mark Says:
   

   This article has a lot of great and basic information about crude oil and fossil fuels. I’m glad I found this site.

   February 3rd, 2009 at 4:43 pm

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