Gasoline

The bulk of a typical gasoline consists of hydrocarbons with between 4 and 12 carbon atoms per molecule (commonly referred to as C4 - C12). It is a mixture of paraffins (alkanes), cycloalkanes (naphthenes), and olefins (alkenes), where the usage of the terms paraffin and olefln is particular to the oil industry. The actual ratio depends on:

• The oil refinery that makes the gasoline, as not all refineries have the same set of processing units;

• The crude oil feed used by the refinery;

• The grade of gasoline, in particular, the octane rating.

Below carbon atoms per molecule are mentioned.

(i) Gasoline C 6 - C 10

(ii) Kerosene C 10 – C 13

(iii) Gas oil C 13 – C 18