Question
What are petrochemicals? Discuss their importance.
Solution
Petrochemicals are the compounds which are derived either from petroleum or natural gas. Important petrochemicals are methane, ethane, propane, ethylene propylene, hexane, heptane, cycloalkanes, benzene, toluene etc.
Importance:
(i) Petrochemicals are very useful for providing raw materials for the manufacture of dyes, drugs, polymers, detergents, food preservatives, disinfectants etc.
(ii) These petrochemicals are widely used in the manufacture of iso-octane, plastics (polythene, PVC), synthetic rubber, insecticides, pesticides, explosives etc.
