Oil is, mainly a lipophilic material mixture consisting stored in the earth's crust of hydrocarbons. Oil is at present most important raw material of the modern industrial companies, which possesses outstanding economic meaning for the production of fuels and for the chemical industry.

Color and consistency vary of transparency and highly liquidly to jet black and high-viscosity. Oil has a characteristic smell due to the sulfur connections. Some oil places fluoreszieren with the irradiation with ultraviolet light. There are different theories for the emergence of the oil.

History

Oil was found already before some thousand years due to the fact the fact that it has a lower density than seawaters and therefore in the cavities of the shale, sand and carbonate sediments rises perhaps upward and at the earth's surface to light steps (in Germany for example with between Hanover and Braunschweig). If it can ascending at impermeable shale or another close rock formation not further and putting into to large depth does not remain, it is to be found by not very deep drillings.

Until to the earth's surface out-pouring oil, which formed materials bitumen-like by the admission of oxygen, became already before 12000 years in the front Orient, particularly in Mesopotamien, discovered. Humans learned the characteristics of this natural product to use: Thus one received a product by mixing oil with sand, reed and other materials for the sealing of ship planks.

From the Babyloniern the word comes "naptu "(of nabatu = shine) for oil, which in the designation "naphtha "has at present still existence. This expression points on the fact that already early the oil served for lighting purposes. The Babylonier was it also, which covered important roads and approach roads to cult places with a thin bitumen layer. The use of "earth pitch "was so pervasive in the Babylonian realm that Hammurabi the material some chapters in its law work 1875 v. Chr. - those granted demonstrably first national adjustment of the oil.

The German designation petroleum is Roman origin: "oleum petrae ", German: Stone or rock oil. This decreases/goes back on discoveries of the Romans in Egypt, where they saw withdrawing in a mountain course at the gulf of Sues oil from the mountains. One assumes that already the Roman army used oil as lubricant for axles and wheels. Oil was used already early as war weapon. In the Byzantine realm in the early Middle Ages with oil quite modern seeming flame thrower was already built, "the Greek fire in such a way specified ", one particularly in the sea-fight dreadful weapon.

Oil was regarded long time also as a cure. During the oil boom years of North America into the 1860er years there were many Quacksalber, who sold the alleged miracle drug against all kinds of physical defects.

The actual exploitation of the began however only in 19. Century. Reason for it was first the search for a good lamp fuel, because whale oil was only for realms affordably, tallow candles skates unpleasant and Gasflammen gave it only in few, modern houses. Different scientists developed thereupon in the center 19. Century procedure for the commercial use. The Canadian physician and geologist Abraham Gesner 1852 acquired a patent on the production of a relatively cleanly which is on, low-priced lamp fuel from raw oil: the petroleum. 1855 suggested the American chemist Benjamin Silliman cleaning oil by sulfuric acid in order to use it as fuel.

Thus one began to look for larger For several years one already knew that with drillings after water and salt occasionally oil seeped into the boreholes. Thus one had the idea to bore directly after oil. The first drillings were accomplished 1856 in Dithmar by Ludwig Meyn and 1858 with how/as TZE in Lower Saxony, north of Hanover. However the drilling became world-famous after oil, which accomplished Edwin L. Drake on 27 August 1859 at the oil Creek in Pennsylvania. Drake bored George H. Bissell on behalf the American Industriellen and discovered into only 21.2 meters of depth the first larger The first oil promotion in the underground work took place 1854 in at Krosno (Poland).

After the introduction of electrical light oil was first no longer attractive, but soon after the development of the automobile the family Rockefeller implemented the use of the oil product gasoline as a joint founder the standard oil company instead of ethanol first intended of Henry Ford as petrol.

In the municipality how/as TZE is today the German oil museum.

Emergence

Biogenous tables the theory for in accordance with oil from sea organisms (Plankton) developed, which died, dropped and were covered on the bottom of the sea by sediments. These organic materials were exposed by dropping the sediments to high pressure and high temperature. Under these conditions they were converted into Kerogene so mentioned, organic materials, which predominantly consist of carbon and hydrogen. In the process of the further dia. genesis the Kerogene can become bituminous. Sedimentary rocks, which contain Kerogene, are called oil source rock. An example of an oil source rock also finely distributed bituminous Kerogenen is oil shale from the Lias epsilon (lower law). The finely distributed Kerogene can under certain conditions, particularly at high temperatures, moves, since they are easier than water and are displaced by this. When moving ("migration "of the oil) the Kerogene unites to more compact masses, to oil. The migration runs on the whole upward. If the oil turns out under impermeable earth layers, which prevent its further migration upward and after the sides it enriches itself there and so a develops. A consists thus of a memory rock, the oil and more or less stores water in its pores, which itself - if available - likewise in the pores of the memory rock rules. The stores water contains often solved salts. Natural gas partly developed under similar conditions. Above therefore a cap from natural gas can be. Sandige sediments near the surface and oil-bearing are called oil sand. Oil is not equivalent compound world-wide. Like that are for example in some areas more alkanes, in other more alkenes contained, also the relationship from aliphatic to aromatic hydrocarbons is different.

A abiogenetischen theory after, which by far less representative than the biogenous tables theory has (see in particular Thomas's gold), exists inside the earth of their emergence to large quantities of carbon compounds, under it also many hydrocarbons. These carbon compounds are pressed on because of their small density toward earth's surface.

Articles in category "Oil"

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