ABSTRACT
Natural gas and crude oil are primary feedstocks, and continue to be, the main sources of secondary feedstocks for the production of petrochemicals. For example, methane from natural gas as well as other low-boiling hydrocarbon derivatives is recovered for use as feedstocks for the production of olefin derivatives and diolefin derivatives. Chemically, paraffin derivatives are relatively inactive compared to olefin derivatives, diolefin derivatives, and aromatic derivatives. Paraffin hydrocarbon derivatives are less reactive than olefin derivatives; only a few chemicals are directly based on them. Liquid propane is a selective hydrocarbon solvent used to separate paraffinic constituent in lube oil base stocks from harmful asphaltic materials. Liquid petroleum fractions and residua are not typically composed of hydrocarbon derivatives, but are more likely composed of hydrocarbonaceous derivatives in which a high proportion of the molecular constituents may contain derivatives of sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen, and metals.
