The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copyrighted by BookRags, Inc.
Petroleum is probably best known as a source for many important fuels, such as gasoline, kerosene, acetylene, and natural gas. However, many of the organic compounds that make up the complex mixture known as petroleum have another use. They are raw materials used in the production of a host synthetic products. These chemicals are known as petrochemicals. To a large extent, these petrochemicals are hydrocarbons. Some of these petrochemicals and the products into which they are made include ethylene (plastics, synthetic fibers, and anti-freeze), benzene (synthetic rubber, latex paints and paper coatings), propylene (drugs and detergents), and phenol (adhesives, perfumes, flavorings, and pesticides).