Chemistry · General Awareness

Carbon and Fossil Fuels

1,756 Questions

Review fundamental concepts regarding carbon compounds, coal distillation, and fossil fuel formation. This segment covers the chemical properties and industrial applications of natural gas and crude oil. Practicing these questions will strengthen your chemistry foundation for general science sections.

Coal distillationPetroleum formationProperties of crude oilNatural gas applications

Carbon and Fossil Fuels Questions

Multiple choice chemistry rocks and minerals coal petroleum non-renewable sources of energy

Which is the important constituent (95%) of natural gas?

  1. Methane

  2. Propane

  3. Ethane

  4. Chlorine
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Methane is the important constituent (95%) of natural gas. Methane has high heat of combustion. Hence, it is used as fuel.
$CH _4 + 2O _2 \rightarrow CO _2 + 2H _2O + heat$

Multiple choice chemistry rocks and minerals coal petroleum non-renewable sources of energy

The major constituent of natural gas is:

  1. methane

  2. ethane

  3. propane

  4. ethene
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Natural gas is primarily composed of methane, but also contains ethane, propane and heavier hydrocarbons. It also contains small amounts of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide and trace amounts of water.

Multiple choice chemistry rocks and minerals coal petroleum non-renewable sources of energy

Which of the following is/are main component present in LPG?

  1. methane

  2. propane

  3. butane

  4. both B and C
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

LPG is liquefied petroleum gas. The main components are:

  1. butane
  2. propane
  3. propylene
  4. butylene.
All the components are gases at normal temperature and pressures.

Multiple choice chemistry rocks and minerals coal petroleum non-renewable sources of energy

Which of the following hydrocarbon exists mostly in the gaseous state under the earth surface?

  1. Pentane

  2. Butane

  3. Hexane

  4. Octane
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

In its strictest sense, petroleum includes only crude oil, but in common usage, it includes all liquid, gaseous and solid hydrocarbons.Under surface pressure and temperature conditions, lighter hydrocarbons methane, ethane, propane and butane occur as gases, while pentane and heavier hydrocarbons are in the form of liquids or solids.


Multiple choice chemistry rocks and minerals coal petroleum non-renewable sources of energy

Heavier crude oils have too much of:

  1. Carbon

  2. Hydrogen

  3. Both Carbon and Hydrogen

  4. Sulfur
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Because heavier crude oils have too much carbon and not enough hydrogen, the cracking processes generally involve removing carbon from or adding hydrogen to the molecules and using fluid catalytic cracking to convert the longer, more complex molecules in the oil to the shorter, simpler ones in the fuels.

Multiple choice chemistry rocks and minerals coal petroleum non-renewable sources of energy

Gas cap over crude oil is formed by:

  1. methane

  2. natural gas

  3. butane

  4. producer gas
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

In the reservoir, crude oil is usually found in association with natural gas, which is lighter forms a "gas cap" over the petroleum, and saline water which, being heavier than most forms of crude oil, generally sinks beneath it.

Multiple choice chemistry rocks and minerals coal petroleum non-renewable sources of energy

Which of the following is a component of Petroleum?

  1. Paraffins

  2. Naphthenes

  3. Asphaltenes

  4. All of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Petroleum is a mixture of a very large number of different hydrocarbons; the most commonly found molecules are alkanes(kinds of paraffin), cycloalkanes(naphthenes), aromatic hydrocarbons, or more complicated chemicals like asphaltenes. Each petroleum variety has a unique mix of molecules, which define its physical and chemical properties, like colour and viscosity.

Multiple choice chemistry rocks and minerals coal petroleum non-renewable sources of energy

Which of the following hydrocarbon exists mostly in solid or liquid form under the earth surface?

  1. Ethane

  2. Methane

  3. Pentane

  4. Butane
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

In its strictest sense, petroleum includes only crude oil, but in common usage it includes all liquid, gaseous and solid hydrocarbons.Under surface pressure and temperature conditions, lighter hydrocarbons methane,ethane,propane and butane occur as gases, while pentane and heavier hydrocarbons are in the form of liquids or solids.

Multiple choice chemistry rocks and minerals coal petroleum non-renewable sources of energy

Which of them is/are not a light hydrocarbon?

  1. Ethane

  2. Hexane

  3. Pentane

  4. Propane
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B,C Correct answer
Explanation

In its strictest sense, petroleum includes only crude oil, but in common usage, it includes all liquid, gaseous and solid hydrocarbons.Under surface pressure and temperature conditions, lighter hydrocarbons methane, ethane, propane and butane occur as gases, while pentane and heavier hydrocarbons are in the form of liquids or solids.

Multiple choice chemistry rocks and minerals coal petroleum non-renewable sources of energy

Iso-octane reacts with oxygen:

  1. endothermically

  2. exothermically

  3. only some activation energy is required

  4. doesn't react
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

 $2,2,4-$trimethylpentane (isooctane), widely used in gasoline, has a chemical formula of $C _8H _8$ and it reacts with oxygen exothermically as shown below:

$2C _8H _{18}(l) + 25O _2(g) \longrightarrow 16CO _2(g) + 18H _2O(g)$


Multiple choice chemistry rocks and minerals coal petroleum non-renewable sources of energy

The average boiling point of aviation turbine fuel is closest to that of:

  1. diesel

  2. LPG

  3. Kerosene

  4. lubricating oils
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Aviation turbine fuel means a refined middle distillate suitable for fuel in an aviation gas turbine internal combustion engine. Its boiling point is closest to that of kerosene.

Multiple choice chemistry rocks and minerals coal petroleum non-renewable sources of energy

Hydrocarbons are obtained from Kerogens through____.

  1. catalysis

  2. catagenesis

  3. cataphoresis

  4. bacterial and Fungal decomposition
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The process of formation of petroleum causes the organic matter to change, first into a waxy material known as kerogen, which is found in various oil shales around the world, and then with more heat into liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons via a process known as catagenesis.

Multiple choice chemistry rocks and minerals coal petroleum non-renewable sources of energy

Gum formation in stored gasoline is mainly due to the:

  1. alkylation of unsaturated.

  2. the presence of sulphur.

  3. oxidation & polymerisation of unsaturates.

  4. higher aromatic content.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Gasoline is a volatile mixture of liquid hydrocarbons generally containing small amounts of additives suitable for use as a fuel in a spark ignition internal combustion engine. The presence of sulphur in gasoline is undesirable due to its foul odour and also it forms gums.

Multiple choice chemistry rocks and minerals coal petroleum non-renewable sources of energy

Illuminating characteristics of kerosene is expressed by its:

  1. aromatic content

  2. aniline point

  3. luminosity number

  4. smoke point
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Kerosene has been used for illumination since centuries. The capacity of kerosene to be illuminating depends on the luminosity number of kerosene.