It is essential to have mixtures of different substances to achieve all the desired properties

Chemistry of oil: did you know….??

For the properties and behaviour of crude oil and oil products, basic knowlegde of the chemistry is necessary.

Crude oil and most of the oil products are mixtures of several different substances. For most applications, it is not required to make ‘pure’ products, so consisting of just one substance. For most products it is even essential to have mixtures of different substances to achieve all the desired properties!

For example, gasoline requires light components to start the engine, and heavier components for driving with a warmed-up engine.

Most of the substances in crude oil and oil products are so called hydrocarbons. 

Molecules of those substances are built from two basic chemical elements: carbon and hydrogen atoms.