In this video, Fran Scott explains fractional distillation - the separation of crude oil into fractions. Crude oil is a finite resource; petrol and other fuels are produced from it using ...

The longest hydrocarbons have very high boiling points. They leave the column as a hot liquid called bitumen. Shorter hydrocarbon molecules have weaker intermolecular forces and lower boiling ...

In the case of the former, the process is called fractional distillation, and it's an invaluable way of making crude oil into a far more efficient source of fuel. Efficiency isn't the only concern ...