The table shows information about four fractions from crude oil.
| Fraction | Number of carbon atoms in each molecule | Boiling range / °C |
|---|---|---|
| petrol | 5–10 | 40–175 |
| kerosene | 10–16 | 175–250 |
| diesel oil | 14–20 | 250–350 |
| fuel oil | 20–40 | above 350 |
Hexadecane, C16H34\mathrm{C_{16}H_{34}}C16H34, boils at 287 °C. Deduce which fraction contains hexadecane.
Describe how fractional distillation separates crude oil into fractions.
Explain why fuel oil has a higher boiling point than petrol.
Compare petrol and fuel oil in terms of their viscosity and how easily they ignite.
37 exam-style questions on Edexcel GCSE Chemistry 9.1 Fuels, covering 9.1.1 Hydrocarbons and crude oil, 9.1.2 Fractional distillation of crude oil and its fractions, 9.1.3 The alkanes as a homologous series, 9.1.4 Complete and incomplete combustion, 9.1.5 Pollutants from burning fuels, 9.1.6 Hydrogen as a fuel and non-renewable fossil fuels, and 9.1.7 Cracking of larger alkanes. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.