ELi5: how do we get gasoline, kerosene, and diesel from the same crude oil?

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I get that there’s some sense of just letting it sit there and heating it up, but I don’t get it.

In: Chemistry

4 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

They all have different boiling points so by controlling the temperatures inside the large distillation columns (the tall towers you see at refineries) you can separate them. The lighter components will boil off the top as vapor while the heavier ones stay in liquid at the bottom.

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