Chemistry of crude oil

Crude oil doesn't just provide us with the fuels to drive the world and its economy. It’s also the source of the building blocks that today’s molecular architects use for a wide range of useful chemical products that we’ve come to regard as vital to everyday life.

Using this book, you will be able to examine the composition of crude oil and learn how this valuable resource is processed to produce more useful hydrocarbons. The book will look at the classification and structures of these hydrocarbons and includes an interactive activity to give you the opportunity to build simple structures and visualise the molecules in three dimensions.

The book ends with an exploration of the relatively small number of chemical reactions that convert these building blocks into more useful products like polymers.

A student at A-level, International Baccalaureate, or K-12 level will be stretched by this content and teaching. If in doubt, download the free sample.