Petroleum

Name:
Petroleum
Detailed information:
A highly complex mixture of paraffinic, cycloparaffinic (naphthenic), and aromatic hydrocarbons, containing a low percentage of sulfur and trace amounts of nitrogen and oxygen compounds. Said to have originated from both plant and animal sources 10–20 million years ago. The most important petroleum fractions, obtained by cracking or distillation, are various hydrocarbon gases (butane, ethane, propane), naphtha of several grades, gasoline, kerosene, fuel oils, gas oil, lubricating oils, paraffin wax, and asphalt. From the hydrocarbon gases, ethylene, butylene, and propylene are obtained; these are important industrial intermediates, being the source of alcohols, ethylene glycols, and monomers for a wide range of plastics, elastomers, and pharmaceuticals. Benzene, phenol, toluene, and xylene can be made from petroleum, and hundreds of other products, including biosynthetically produced proteins, are petroleum derived. About 5% of the petroleum consumed in the U.S. is used as feedstocks by the chemical industries.For further information refer to The American Petroleum Institute.

Chemistry name:	crude oil
Occurrence:
At present, half of the world's proven resources are in the Middle East and North Africa, the other half being divided among the U.S. (including Alaska), Canada, Venezuela, the former U.S.S.R., the North Sea area, Indonesia, Mexico, Romania, and Australia.
Properties:
Viscous, dark-brown liquid; unpleasant odor. D 0.78–0.97, flash p 20–90F.
Hazard:
Flammable, moderate fire risk. Toxic by ingestion, local skin irritant.

See Natural Gas; Petrochemical