Petroleum: oil, coal, and natural gas.
- Oil (also called crude oil) is a liquid mixture of various hydrocarbons; it forms when a large biomass of organisms such as algae and plankton are trapped in sedimentary rock and subjected to intense heat and pressure over long periods of time.
- Coal is a solid made up of mostly carbon; it forms when peat is subjected to heat, pressure, and bacteria over long periods of time. First it turns into lignite (a low grade coal) and eventually into coal. Because it forms in rock under heat and pressure, coal is a type of metamorphic rock.
- Natural Gas is a mixture of light, gaseous hydrocarbons, mostly methane (CH4). It can form when plant and animal remains decay. It is often found with reserves of coal or oil.
Petroleum Uses:
- It can be burned for energy. Its bonds release a lot of energy when they react with oxygen.
- Many useful materials can be made out of hydrocarbons, because carbon can form many types of stable bonds, and carbon can form many large and complicated stable molecules.
Organic Compounds: carbon based compounds; includes compounds that make up living things as well as compounds that make up many nonliving materials, including petroleum, and petrochemicals
Organic Chemistry: the study of carbon based compounds; unlike any other element, carbon readily forms stable chemical bonds in a huge variety of large, complicated molecules.
Hydrocarbons: organic compounds made of hydrogen and carbon; these are the simpler organic compounds – they can be more complex if they contain other elements like oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur.
Petrochemicals: chemicals made from petroleum. For example:
- plastics (many types – think how many things are made of plastic)
- pharmaceuticals (medicines)
- fossil fuels (gasoline, jet fuel, diesel, etc)
- asphalt (roads)
- rubber (tires)
- main ingredients in many consumer products such as shampoo, cosmetics, and laundry detergent
- synthetic fabrics (nylon, polyester, spandex, etc)
- food additives
- find a bigger list here