Apr 6, 2026 03:18 AM
https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/techno...d-come-oil
EXCERPTS: Besides being critical for transportation, oil is the source of the chemicals that can be converted into pharmaceuticals, synthetic fibres, plastics, detergents, cosmetics, adhesives, lubricants, paints, roofing materials and asphalt. Without oil, modern civilization grinds to a halt. That makes for a fascinating story.
First, some terms need clarification. Although “petroleum” and “oil” are often used interchangeably, they are not the same. [...] oil is only part of petroleum, which also contains heavy hydrocarbons that have the consistency of tar, and light ones that are referred to as natural gas. So “oil” means “crude oil,” the liquid part of petroleum.
[...] Around 1000 BCE, the Chinese fitted bamboo poles with metal bits to drill into the ground and bring oil and natural gas to the surface that they then ignited to evaporate sea water and collect the salt that was left. By the 10th century, the Chinese had extensive bamboo pipelines connecting gas wells with salt springs. Persian chemists had also learned to distil petroleum and isolate highly flammable components that were used in warfare as well as distillates that were used as medicine.
[...] In the 1800s, chemists had also shown that compounds distilled from petroleum or from the tar left when coal burns could through various reactions be transformed into dyes and pharmaceutical products. The demand for these distillates increased significantly with the invention in 1906 of the first synthetic plastic, Bakelite, followed by nylon in the 1930s, both of which required petroleum components for production.
Clearly, without oil, we can say bye-bye not only to our cars, ships and planes, but also to numerous consumer items ranging from plastics and drugs to fertilizer and heating oil on which our society depends. It is obvious why “black gold” made Jed a millionaire. And why the Iran war is causing such turmoil... (MORE - missing details)
EXCERPTS: Besides being critical for transportation, oil is the source of the chemicals that can be converted into pharmaceuticals, synthetic fibres, plastics, detergents, cosmetics, adhesives, lubricants, paints, roofing materials and asphalt. Without oil, modern civilization grinds to a halt. That makes for a fascinating story.
First, some terms need clarification. Although “petroleum” and “oil” are often used interchangeably, they are not the same. [...] oil is only part of petroleum, which also contains heavy hydrocarbons that have the consistency of tar, and light ones that are referred to as natural gas. So “oil” means “crude oil,” the liquid part of petroleum.
[...] Around 1000 BCE, the Chinese fitted bamboo poles with metal bits to drill into the ground and bring oil and natural gas to the surface that they then ignited to evaporate sea water and collect the salt that was left. By the 10th century, the Chinese had extensive bamboo pipelines connecting gas wells with salt springs. Persian chemists had also learned to distil petroleum and isolate highly flammable components that were used in warfare as well as distillates that were used as medicine.
[...] In the 1800s, chemists had also shown that compounds distilled from petroleum or from the tar left when coal burns could through various reactions be transformed into dyes and pharmaceutical products. The demand for these distillates increased significantly with the invention in 1906 of the first synthetic plastic, Bakelite, followed by nylon in the 1930s, both of which required petroleum components for production.
Clearly, without oil, we can say bye-bye not only to our cars, ships and planes, but also to numerous consumer items ranging from plastics and drugs to fertilizer and heating oil on which our society depends. It is obvious why “black gold” made Jed a millionaire. And why the Iran war is causing such turmoil... (MORE - missing details)
