High Melting and Boiling Points: A Characteristic of Petroleum?

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High melting and boiling points are not characteristic of petroleum as a whole, but rather depend on the specific fractions within crude oil. Lighter fractions, like petrol, are highly volatile with low melting and boiling points, while heavier fractions, such as diesel and kerosene, exhibit higher melting and boiling points due to lower volatility. The variation in boiling points among these fractions is crucial for the process of fractional distillation, which separates crude oil into its components. ASTM D 86 is referenced for understanding distillation curves of petroleum products. Overall, the properties of melting and boiling points in petroleum are closely tied to the specific fractions present.
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quick question
WOULD high melting points and boiling points be a property of petrolium aka crude oil.
 
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Crude oil is made up of lots of components, - fractions.

The lighter fractions tend to be very volatile, and have relatively low melting and boiling points. Think of petrol; if you spill it, it evaporates more quickly than you can mop it up. Heavier fractions (diesel, kerosene) aren't as volatile, so their melting and boiling points are higher. The heavy fractions (gas oil, paraffin) are less volatile still.

The difference in boiling points is the principle by which fractional distillation works; the process by which crude oil is broken down into its constituents.
 
Excellent reply. A+ for Brewnog. ASTM D 86 is a good reference if distillation curves for a petroleum product.
 
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