JAMB - Chemistry (2018 - No. 83)
When large hydrocarbon molecules are heated at high temperature in the presence of a catalyst to give smaller molecules, the process is known as
disintegration
polymerization
cracking
degradation
הֶסבֵּר
Cracking is the breakdown of a large alkane into smaller, more useful alkenes. Simply put, hydrocarbon cracking is the process of breaking a long-chain of hydrocarbons into short ones. This process might require high temperatures and high pressure.