Catalytic cracking is an industrial process used to convert high-molecular-mass hydrocarbons to low-molecular-mass hydrocarbons. A petroleum company has a huge supply of heating oil stored as straight chain C17H36, and demand has picked up for shorter chain hydrocarbons to be used in formulating gasoline. The company uses catalytic cracking to create the shorter chains necessary for gasoline. If they produce two molecules in the cracking, and 1-octene is one of them, what is the formula of the other molecule produced?

If C17H36 is one and C8H16 is the other, what is left? Could it be C9H20?

To determine the formula of the other molecule produced during catalytic cracking, we need to understand the process of cracking and the reactions involved.

During catalytic cracking, long-chain hydrocarbons are broken down by heat and the presence of a catalyst. This process involves the breaking of carbon-carbon bonds and the formation of shorter chain hydrocarbons.

In this case, we are given that 1-octene is one of the products formed. The formula of 1-octene is C8H16.

To determine the formula of the other molecule produced, we can start by considering the original long-chain hydrocarbon, which is straight-chain C17H36. We know that it is broken down into two molecules, one of which is 1-octene.

Let's calculate the difference between the atoms and bonds in the original hydrocarbon and the known product to find the formula of the other molecule:

For the long-chain hydrocarbon:
Carbon (C) atoms: 17
Hydrogen (H) atoms: 36

For 1-octene:
Carbon (C) atoms: 8
Hydrogen (H) atoms: 16

Now, let's calculate the difference:
Carbon (C) difference: 17 - 8 = 9
Hydrogen (H) difference: 36 - 16 = 20

By the difference in carbon and hydrogen atoms, we can conclude that the other molecule produced should have 9 carbon atoms and 20 hydrogen atoms. Therefore, the formula for the other molecule is C9H20.