Organic ChemistryDeep Dive
The Fractionating Column: Step by Step
Part of Crude Oil · GCSE GCSE Chemistry revision
This deep dive covers The Fractionating Column: Step by Step within Crude Oil for GCSE Chemistry. Topic 37: Crude Oil It is section 6 of 13 in this topic. Use this deep dive to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Topic position
Section 6 of 13
Practice
20 questions
Recall
15 flashcards
🔄 The Fractionating Column: Step by Step
- Heat crude oil to ~350°C → all hydrocarbons vaporise
- Enter hot vapour into bottom of tall column
- Rise — vapour travels up through the column
- Cool — temperature decreases going up the column
- Condense — each fraction condenses when it reaches its boiling point
- Collect — liquid fractions drawn off at different heights
- Exit — gases that don't condense exit at the top
Keep building this topic
Read this section alongside the surrounding pages in Crude Oil. That gives you the full topic sequence instead of a single isolated revision point.
Practice Questions for Crude Oil
A hydrocarbon is a compound that contains only:
Explain how fractional distillation separates crude oil into different fractions.
Quick Recall Flashcards
What is a hydrocarbon?
A molecule made of hydrogen and carbon atoms ONLY
What is crude oil?
A mixture of many different hydrocarbons
20 questions on Crude Oil — practise free
Instant marking, adaptive difficulty, and 15 spaced repetition flashcards. Free until your GCSEs.
Try PrepWise Free