Which statement best describes the lab cracking apparatus described?

Which statement best describes the lab cracking apparatus described?

• A. A test tube filled with water and heated directly over a flame.
• B. A test tube containing mineral wool soaked in paraffin, heated over a porous pot with a delivery tube to a water bath connected to a Bunsen valve.
• C. A beaker with ice cooled for condensation.
• D. A flask with ethanol.

Answer: (B)

Thermal cracking of hydrocarbons is about breaking large molecules into smaller ones by heat and then collecting the products as they form. In a lab setup, you feed a liquid hydrocarbon onto a heatable, porous surface (like mineral wool) so it can vaporize and rise as hot vapour. The vapour is passed through a heated area (a porous pot helps spread the heat evenly) where bond-breaking occurs. The product vapours then travel through a delivery tube into a condenser or water bath so the liquid products can condense and be collected, while the gaseous products can be vented or measured. A valve helps control the flow and prevent backflow. That’s why this description fits best: it uses paraffin on mineral wool as the hydrocarbon feed, a heated porous surface to promote cracking, and a delivery tube leading to a water bath for condensation of liquid products, with a valve to regulate gas flow. The other options describe setups that don’t provide the cracking process or the appropriate collection/condensation path.

Thermal cracking of hydrocarbons is about breaking large molecules into smaller ones by heat and then collecting the products as they form. In a lab setup, you feed a liquid hydrocarbon onto a heatable, porous surface (like mineral wool) so it can vaporize and rise as hot vapour. The vapour is passed through a heated area (a porous pot helps spread the heat evenly) where bond-breaking occurs. The product vapours then travel through a delivery tube into a condenser or water bath so the liquid products can condense and be collected, while the gaseous products can be vented or measured. A valve helps control the flow and prevent backflow.

That’s why this description fits best: it uses paraffin on mineral wool as the hydrocarbon feed, a heated porous surface to promote cracking, and a delivery tube leading to a water bath for condensation of liquid products, with a valve to regulate gas flow. The other options describe setups that don’t provide the cracking process or the appropriate collection/condensation path.