Crude Oil and Fractional Distillation

Lab Brief #1

🎯 Your mission

Understand the idea. Then look for it everywhere.

⚡ The twist

Nature loves to surprise the careful watcher.

What you'll learn

Crude oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons separated by fractional distillation. Longer chains have stronger intermolecular forces, so they boil higher and condense lower in the column. Bitumen leaves at the bottom, refinery gases at the top.

Key words

fraction
A group of hydrocarbons with a similar range of boiling points.
fractionating column
A tower with a temperature gradient used to separate a mixture by boiling point.

Make a hypothesis first

Before you start: write down what you think will happen, and why.

Say your guess out loud — then find out if you were right.

Step 1 of 4 · Read

Think about what you just learned: say what "fraction" and "fractionating column" mean in your own words before you start.

Step 2 of 4 · Do

Label a fractionating column diagram with six fractions in the correct order, giving a use and an approximate boiling range for each. Then explain the trend in viscosity and flammability down the column.

Step 3 of 4 · Observe

Record what actually happened, including anything that did not match what you expected.

Step 4 of 4 · Record

Write a conclusion that answers the question this lesson opened with, and state your uncertainty.

Question 1 of 2

Fractions collected near the top of the column have:

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 2 of 2

Longer hydrocarbon chains boil at higher temperatures because they have stronger:

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Mind = blown

🔬 The more you look, the more nature shows you.

Nice work!

You got 0 of 2 right.

Next: Alkanes All lessons

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✨ More to explore

🌍 Where you see this in real life: This shows up in your everyday life more than you'd think.

🏆 Stretch challenge (try it this week): Try one experiment in real life this week — even a tiny one.

👨‍👩‍👧 For the dinner table: “What's the most surprising thing you learned today?”

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