Petroleum: A Short History of Black Gold (1/2)

With oil around one hundred dollars a barrel, this may be a good time for a short history of petroleum" class="hjdict" word="petroleum" target=_blank>petroleum.

Petroleum has been important since ancient times. The Greek historianHerodotus told of its use in the form of pitch for building and road making in the ancient city of Babylon in present-day Iraq.

In Latin, the name means "rock oil." Petroleum is a fossil" class="hjdict" word="fossil" target=_blank>fossil fuel. The liquid comes from the remains of plants and animals that died millions of years ago. These remains were buried deep below levels of rock over time and under great pressure.

This geological process created complex molecules of hydrogen and carbon. Oil can also contain other elements. Crude oil, or unprocessed petroleum, is called sour when it contains a lot of sulfur, an impurity" class="hjdict" word="impurity" target=_blank>impurity. Sour crude requires more refining than sweet crude, which is low in sulfur and, as a result, often more valuable.

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随着油价达每桶100美元左右，这可能是介绍石油简史的好时机。

从远古时代，石油就很重要。希腊历史学家希罗多德提到过在巴比伦古城，即现在的伊拉克，石油就以沥青的形式被用于修建房屋和马路。

在拉丁语中，该名称的意思是"岩石油"。石油是一种化石燃料。这种液体来自于死于百万年前植物和动物的残骸。随着时间的推移，这些残骸被埋藏于多层岩石之下并经历巨大压力的作用。

这种地质作用形成复杂的碳氢分子。石油中也可以含有其他成分。原油或未加工的石油，当其中含有较多的硫磺，一种杂质时，被称为含硫原油。与脱硫油相比，含硫原油需要更多的提炼（步骤）。脱硫油含硫磺量较低，因此通常价格也更贵。