Crude oil’s value comes from its chemical diversity and the wide range of boiling points of its components.

Did you know….?? Crude oil

Crude oils: did you know…. unlike water, crude oil is not one chemical compound but hundreds of different compounds. Some are as simple as natural gas (methane, one carbon and 4 hydrogen atoms), but some are extremely complex like asphalt (asphaltenes, with over 1.000 carbon atoms).

Different compounds, different boiling points

The important characteristic is that each of these compounds has its own ‘boiling point temperature’ and this makes crude oil very useful in the oil refining industry.