Chemistry - Cracking and reforming?

Question

1. What is "cracking" and why is it important?

Cracking mean hydrocarbons in these fractions are broken into smaller fragments in a technological process.

i explain what is cracking, but i don't know how importand is it.


2.What is “reforming” and why is it important?

i don't know how to do No.2 , can someone help me

please...

That unit is talking about hydrocarbons

You don't have to explain that much....
we have study this unit yet, just try to do the homework...

So i don't understand what you said, can you said more easy ..?

Answer 1

Cracking and reforming have to do with processing the "naphtha" fraction of oil refining into gasoline. Cracking breaks longer chain hydrocarbons into shorter ones. Reforming introduces benzene rings into the naphtha fraction to produce such "aromatics" as benzene, toluene, and the three xylenes. Aromatics increase the octane number of gasoline.

Separately, "steam cracking" of ethane, propane, butanes, and/or naphtha produces olefins: ethylene, propylene, butadiene, butylenes, isoprene. But that is a petrochemical process. The water in the steam mitigates the violence of the cracking in the furnace and so affords more useful chemical products.