Recall that crude oil is a finite resource found in rocks, formed from the remains of ancient biomass (mainly plankton) buried in mud.
Recognize crude oil as a major source of hydrocarbons and a vital feedstock for the petrochemical industry.
Recall that a carbon atom can form exactly four covalent bonds.
Explain that carbon's ability to form families of similar compounds, chains, and rings results in a vast array of natural and synthetic organic compounds.
Understand that crude oil is a mixture of a very large number of compounds, predominantly hydrocarbons made of only hydrogen and carbon atoms.
Describe the specific fractions of crude oil as largely mixtures of alkane compounds belonging to a homologous series with the general formula C.
