Crude petroleum oil is a complex mixture of organic liquids that occurs naturally beneath Earth’s surface. It was formed millions of years ago. Crude oil is vaporized and made to undergo fractional distillation where its components get separated as shown in the figure.
The organic liquids present in crude oil are separated in a fractional distillation chamber because they have different
Boiling points
Crude oil is vaporized in a furnace where its constituents get separated according to their boiling points.
The correct answer is C.
Why alternative A is wrong:
The components of crude oil exist in the liquid state. Their melting points are much below the normal room temperature. Crude oil is vaporized by heating before passing it through the fractional distillation chamber. Hence, the differences in their boiling points are used for separating organic liquids, not melting points.
Why alternative B is wrong:
In order to separate the components of crude oil, it has to be left for a long time in a stationary container. This method consumes a lot of time. Hence, this method is not used for separating organic liquids from crude oil.
Why alternative D is wrong:
Difference in viscosity cannot be used for efficiently separating different organic fluids from crude oil.