Olefins, such as ethylene and propylene, feature double or triple bonds between carbon atoms, making them highly reactive. Over time, layers of sediment buried these remains, creating an oxygen-poor environment that prevented complete decay.
Light Gases, Heavy Liquids: The Composition of Crude Oil
These molecules are "saturated" with hydrogen atoms, making them very stable and clean-burning. To understand what oil is made of, one must look back millions of years to the ancient seas and forests where organic matter accumulated and transformed.
Saturated Hydrocarbons: The Paraffins The most common family of hydrocarbons in many crude oils is the paraffins, also known as alkanes. Fundamentally, oil is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons, which are organic compounds consisting solely of hydrogen and carbon atoms.
Light Gases, Heavy Liquids, and the Crude Oil They Form
As the temperature increased, the kerogen thermally cracked into smaller, simpler molecules. Aromatics, including benzene, toluene, and xylene, have ring-shaped structures that provide high energy density and are critical for producing synthetic fibers, resins, and industrial solvents.
More About What is oil made of
Looking at What is oil made of from another angle can help expand the discussion and give readers a second clear paragraph under the same section.
More perspective on What is oil made of can make the topic easier to follow by connecting earlier points with a few simple takeaways.
