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Aliphatic hydrocarbons:
are chemical species containing carbon and hydrogen, linked together by only single bonds. They constitute an important fraction of petroleum and are massively used in the field of fuels
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Alkenes:
are hydrocarbon species containing double bonds. They derive from production processes in the petrochemical industry and are very important intermediates for the synthesis of many compounds
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Aromatic hydrocarbons:
are very stable molecules, used in many processes (paints, varnishes, glues, enamels, lacquers…)
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Aldehydes:
are partially oxidized molecules, widely used in the chemical and agricultural industry (fungicides, insulators, germicides, resins, disinfectants…)
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Alcohols:
are widely used as solvents or as intermediates in chemical processes of high importance. Lately they are assuming an ever increasing importance in the field of automotive fuels
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Ethers:
find use in specific contexts, where they can be found as air contaminants. For example, THF (tetrahydrofuran) is used as an industrial solvent, while MTBE (methyl-tert-butyl ether) is widely used as an antiknock agent in green gasolines
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Halogenated organic compounds:
large quantities of halogen derivatives, both aliphatic and aromatic, are used in industrial applications. They are generally volatile, hydrophobic and toxic compounds, and are widely used as pesticides and refrigerants
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Organosulfur compounds:
On a large scale, these compounds do not pose a serious environmental problem, but at a local level they can be harmful. Human activity produces them through the treatment of animal waste and wastewater and in oil refining processes
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Organonitrogen compounds:
This category includes a large number of chemical species (amines, amides, nitriles…) that are used in a wide range of sectors. These include the production of dyes, pharmaceutical and cosmetic chemistry, photography and the production of rubbers and polymers
