9781422285602

INTRODUCTION O il is one of the world’s most needed resources. Whenever we ride in a car, take a plane, use electricity, handle plastic, brush paint, apply wax, varnish nails, or even step onto a sidewalk, oil and its by-products are probably involved. Why has oil become so important in modern life? One reason is that oil is not just one single substance. It’s a complicated mixture of many different ingredients, formed over millions of years from the long-dead remains of ancient life forms. Today, oil can be taken from under the ground and turned into hundreds of useful products by the processes

7 Oil pumps like these are sometimes called “nodding donkeys.” (Elena Elisseeva/Dreamstime)