Organic ChemistryDeep Dive

The Fractionating Column: Step by Step

Part of Crude OilGCSE Chemistry

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

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20 questions

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🔄 The Fractionating Column: Step by Step

  1. Heat crude oil to ~350°C → all hydrocarbons vaporise
  2. Enter hot vapour into bottom of tall column
  3. Rise — vapour travels up through the column
  4. Cool — temperature decreases going up the column
  5. Condense — each fraction condenses when it reaches its boiling point
  6. Collect — liquid fractions drawn off at different heights
  7. 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:

  • A. Hydrogen and carbon only
  • B. Hydrogen and oxygen only
  • C. Carbon and nitrogen only
  • D. Hydrogen, carbon and oxygen
1 markfoundation

Explain how fractional distillation separates crude oil into different fractions.

3 marksstandard

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