What is the chemical formula for petroleum?

Petroleum is a mixture of several different hydrocarbons; the most commonly found molecules are alkanes (linear or branched), cycloalkanes, aromatic hydrocarbons, or more complicated chemicals like asphaltenes. read more

The chemical composition of petroleum can vary dramatically from one sample to another, although the specific concentrations of chemical elements in crude oil is generally quite standard. Most petroleum contains approximately 83 to 87 percent carbon, 10 to 14 percent hydrogen, 0.5 to 6 percent sulfur, 0.1 to 2 percent nitrogen and 0.5 to 1.5 percent oxygen. read more

In other words, the derivatives of crude oil hold a chemical formula rather than a crude oil. Petroleum includes naturally occurring unrefined crude oil plus petroleum products that are derived from crude oil to name a few for simplification purpose includes Asphaltenes, Tar, Petroleum jelly, Kerosene, lube oil etc. read more

What we call gasoline (petrol) is not a pure compound but a mixture of many alkanes and cycle alkanes; molecules have around 5 to 12 carbons in their structure and is mainly used for internal combustion engines. read more