Question

Which of the following is a component of petroleum?
A. Paraffins
B. Naphthalene
C. Asphaltene
D. All of the above

Answer 1

Crude oil which is also known as petroleum is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid which is found in the geological formation under the surface of earth. It is generally refined into various types of fuels and components petroleum are extracted using a method known as fractional distillation.

Complete answer: Petroleum is composed of very large number of hydrocarbons and the most commonly found components of petroleum are as follows:
Paraffins: These are also known as alkanes. These are saturated hydrocarbons which have a general molecular formula as ${C_n}{H_{2n + 2}}$. Paraffins which consist of less than five carbon atoms exist in gaseous state at room temperature, those that have carbon atoms in range of five to fifteen are usually liquids and straight chain alkanes which have more than fifteen carbon atoms exist in their solid phase. These are the major constituents of natural gas and petroleum.
Example: Paraffins from pentane to octane are converted to gasoline by the process of refining. The alkanes from nonane to hexadecane are converted into kerosene and fuel while alkanes with more than 16 carbon atoms are refined to form lubricating oil and fuel.
Naphthalene: It is the condensed ring hydrocarbon which is formed of fusion of two benzene rings by sharing two adjacent carbon atoms. It is a volatile product which is formed in the modern process for breaking up of large molecules or high temperature cracking of petroleum. It is widely used in the manufacture of synthetic resins and dye stuff.
Asphaltene: These are the molecular substances which are found in petroleum along with saturated and aromatic hydrocarbons. These consist of extremely complex molecular structures which have $0.3 - 10.3\%$ of sulphur, $0.3 - 4.8\%$ of oxygen, $0.6 - 3.3\%$ of nitrogen and some metals like iron and nickel in small amounts. Asphaltenes are found in high proportions in heavy oils, biodegradable oils, bitumen and oil sands.
Hence, all the given options are components of petroleum.
Therefore, option (D) is the correct answer.

Note:
It is important to note that incomplete combustion of gasoline or petroleum can lead to formation of toxic by-products. Due to high temperature and pressure conditions, gases which exhaust gasoline and petroleum usually include nitrogen oxides which are the major reason for the creation of photochemical smog.