Question

Kerosene is a mixture of?
(A) Alkanes
(B) Aromatic compounds
(C) Alcohols
(D) Aliphatic acids

Answer 1

Hint: We know that kerosene is an important sub-product of the petroleum industry. Kerosene is a distillate of oil. It is a mixture of different hydrocarbons and various other substances. It is used to remove adhesives left by stickers on the surface of glass.

Complete step by step solution:We know that kerosene is a thin and clear liquid and it has a strong smell. It is pale yellow in colour. Kerosene is extracted from coal, oil and wood. But the main source of kerosene is refined petroleum. Kerosene is immiscible with water but it is miscible in petroleum solvents.
The work ‘kerosene’ is derived from the Greek word ‘keros’ which means wax. Kerosene is also known as paraffin, lamp oil and coal oil.
The viscosity of kerosene is very low. Kerosene can be separated from petroleum by fractional distillation between $150 - {275^ \circ }{\text{C}}$.
Kerosene contains $55.2\% $ paraffin, $40.9\% $ naphthalenes and $3.9\% $ aromatic hydrocarbons.
The hydrocarbons in kerosene have 11 to 13 carbons in chains. Thus, we can say that kerosene has different aromatic compounds.
Aromatic compounds have a strong smell and thus, kerosene also has a strong smell.
Thus, kerosene is a mixture of aromatic compounds.

Thus, the correct option is (B) aromatic compounds.

Additional information: Kerosene is widely used as a fuel for motorcycles, aircrafts and rocket engines. Kerosene is a source of energy for cooking and lighting. It is used as a diluent in the PUREX extraction process.

Note: The aromatic compounds are strongly smelling compounds. Due to this kerosene also has a strong smell as it contains aromatic hydrocarbons. Kerosene contains $20\% $ of different aromatic compounds.