Question

What fuel is being sought in the process of fracking? Provide the organic chemistry name of it and the chemical formula. B. The fuel combusts in the presence of oxygen and a spark to produce carbon dioxide and water. Write the balanced chemical equation for this reaction. C. Is that fuel a solid, liquid, or gas at room temperature? Explain why it is the phase that it is in terms of intermolecular forces.

Answer 1

A. -" Natural gas " (or also termed as " Shale gas " ) is the fuel being sought in the process of Fracking .

....- The organic chemistry name for this fuel in general is alkanes (C_n H_2n+2) ,where

n represents the number of carbon atom in alkanes. It is mostly ' Methane ( CH₄ ) ' to the

extent 90 - 95% by volume.

B. The general balanced chemical equation for its combustion producing CO2 & water is-

.............C_n H_{2n + 2}   + [( 3n + 1) /2 ] O₂ -----------> nCO₂   + (n+1) H₂O

Thus, for methane it is,-

...................CH₄   + 2O₂  -----------> CO₂   + 2H₂ O

-The fuel is in the gas phase at room temperature.

The reason for it being in the gaseous phase is that the molecules are attracted / bonded with

one another by weak vander Wall forces of attraction.