What is Crude Oil?
Crude oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons and consists of light, medium and heavy chemicals.
Crude oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons.
- 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. The exact molecular composition varies widely.
- The light parts, such as benzene, xylene, toluene and ethyl benzene generally evaporate into the air in the first 24 hours of a spill (usually before reaching the shore).
- The medium and heavy parts (consistency much like motor oil) is what cleanup operations on the land and near shore areas focus on.
- Unfortunately, crude oil is also a complex mixture of carcinogenic substances.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
2-3. Which parts of the crude oil are usually the focus of cleanup operations?
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