Cambridge O Level Chemistry · Syllabus 5070 · Organic Chemistry
Cracking
What is Cracking?
An industrial process in which larger alkane molecules are broken down into smaller, more useful molecules using a high temperature and a catalyst, producing shorter alkanes, alkenes and hydrogen.
This definition is part of the Organic Chemistry chapter in Cambridge O Level Chemistry.
Common mistakes with Cracking
- 5. “Fractional distillation breaks petroleum down into its fractions.” defect The verb “breaks down”, which describes a chemical change. why Petroleum is a mixture, and distillation is physical. Every molecule survives intact; nothing is broken. repair Write separates. Reserve “breaks down” for cracking. transfer State one difference in the products of distillation and of cracking that proves one is chemical and the other is not.
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