Alkanes from Crude Oil
Use this landing page to move quickly between the main crude oil revision pages for AQA A Level Chemistry AQA 3.3.2. These pages cover how crude oil is separated, how long-chain hydrocarbons are converted into more useful molecules and how reforming changes hydrocarbon structure for industrial use.
Choose an Alkanes from Crude Oil Page
Crude oil is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons. This section breaks the topic into the three key industrial processes students need to recognise: fractional distillation, cracking and reforming.
Key idea: Fractional distillation separates crude oil into fractions by boiling range, while cracking and reforming change hydrocarbon molecules into more useful products.
Fractional Distillation
Revise how crude oil is separated into fractions using differences in boiling point and chain length.
Start revisingCracking
Learn how long-chain hydrocarbons are broken into shorter alkanes and alkenes that are more useful as fuels and feedstocks.
Start revisingReforming
Review how straight-chain hydrocarbons are rearranged into branched or cyclic molecules to improve fuel quality.
Start revisingThermal and Catalytic Cracking
The AQA 3.3.2.2 detail: conditions and products of thermal and catalytic cracking, the zeolite catalyst and the economic reasons for cracking.
Start revisingHow to Use These Pages
Start with fractional distillation to understand how crude oil is separated. Then move to cracking to see how supply and demand are adjusted by changing long-chain hydrocarbons into shorter products. Finish with reforming to connect molecular structure with fuel performance.
Exam focus: Be able to explain separation by boiling point, describe cracking conditions and products, and understand why reforming produces hydrocarbons with improved fuel properties.
Master Introduction to Organic Chemistry and Alkanes for AQA A Level Chemistry
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Some ionic radii are shown.
| Ion | Ionic radius / nm |
|---|---|
| Na+ | 0.102 |
| K+ | 0.138 |
| F− | 0.133 |
| Cl− | 0.180 |
Which compound has the strongest ionic bonding?
Explain why the metallic bonding in magnesium is much stronger than that in sodium.
Copyright notice: This revision page, including its written explanations, layout and teaching sequence, is produced for Online Learning System by Dr. Mohammed Al-Fatah. It is intended for student revision and may not be copied, redistributed or republished without permission.
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