Replies

Yes, those are the biotic sources. I was responding to a claim of abotic. -------------------------- and you do not think these longer chains form in non biological situations? I repeat the natural affinity of carbon for carbon. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/95006/carbon-group-element/80951/Catenation "Only the carbon–hydrogen, carbon–fluorine, and carbon–oxygen single bonds (C−H, C−F, and C−O) are stronger than the carbon–carbon single bond (C−C), and each of these is weaker than the carbon–carbon multiple bonds (C=C or C≡C)." And a response to your refinery argument? To prempt you, yes you can break carbon bonds but it takes more than heat and pressure. It takes addition of steam, (see above) or other agent or catalyst. You can refine shorter chains into longer chains by removing hydrogen, (much more complex than that) I am not an expert in organic chem but there are some basics to understand. You have painted your self in a corner and would rather be "right" than learn something. I have been there often myself, and have found it is best to admit where I am and let the paint dry.

To prempt you, yes you can break carbon bonds but it takes more than heat and pressure. It takes addition of steam, (see above) or other agent or catalyst.

False. I've done multiple refinery design projects as an engineer. We do not inject steam. Some thermal crackers introduce nothing besides heat and pressure. Many modern crackers use catalysts to lower the energy requirement but not all. Cokers are good example of a thermal cracker that are still designed and built today that only use heat and pressure to crack the heavier molecules.

https://www.fwc.com/GlobalEC/pdf/VisbreakingProcess.pdf

Visbreaking is a non-catalytic thermal process that converts atmospheric or vacuum residues via thermal cracking to gas, naphtha, distillates, and visbroken residue.

Let me know if you want other examples or more detail.