🌈 Petroleum Fractions – Properties and Uses

Fraction	Typical Hydrocarbon Chain Length	Boiling Point Range (°C)	Position in Column	Common Uses
Refinery Gas	C₁ – C₄	Below 40°C	Top	Heating and cooking gas
Gasoline (Petrol)	C₅ – C₁₀	40 – 110°C	Upper Section	Fuel for cars
Naphtha	C₇ – C₁₄	110 – 180°C	Upper-Middle	Chemical feedstock (plastics)
Diesel Oil	C₁₄ – C₂₀	250 – 350°C	Lower-Middle	Fuel for diesel engines
Bitumen	C₇₀+	Above 350°C	Bottom	Road surfacing

Moving up the fractionating column:
→ Hydrocarbon chain length decreases
→ Boiling point decreases

Moving down the fractionating column: 
→ Hydrocarbon chain length increases
→ Boiling point increases