Petroleum, Fertilizers, Pesticides, Metallurgy & Food Adulteration
TNPSC study notes on petroleum products, fertilizers, pesticides, metallurgy and food adulteration.
Learning Content
⛽ Petroleum Products!
Petroleum = Black Gold | Crude Oil Extraction
📊 PETROLEUM PRODUCTS - MASTER TABLE
| Meaning | boiling point | benefit |
|---|---|---|
| LPG | < 40°C | Cooking gas |
| Petrol | 40-120°C | Two-wheeler, car |
| Naphtha | 120-180°C | Petrochemical |
| Kerosene | 180-250°C | Lamp, jet fuel |
| Diesel | 250-350°C | Truck, bus, train |
| Lubricating oil | 350-400°C | Reduction of mechanical friction |
| Bitumen | > 400°C | Road construction |
🔥 Gases - Comparison
| gas | Expansion | Content | benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| LPG | Liquefied Petroleum Gas | Butane + Propane | Cooking |
| CNG | Compressed Natural Gas | Methane (CH₄) | Vehicle |
| PNG | Piped Natural Gas | Methane | Home cooking |
| LNG | Liquefied Natural Gas | Methane | Shipping |
💡Smell of LPG= Ethyl Mercaptan (leak detection)
💡Octane Number= gasoline grade |Cetane Number= Diesel grade
🌱 Fertilizers!
NPK = Nitrogen + Phosphorus + Potassium
📊 Fertilizer Types - MASTER TABLE
| Type | Nutrient | Example | benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrogen fertilizer | N | Urea, Ammonium Sulphate | Leaf growth |
| Phosphate fertilizer | P | Super Phosphate, DAP | Root, flower, fruit |
| Potash fertilizer | K | MOP, SOP | Disease resistance |
| Mixed compost | NPK | DAP, Complex Fertilizer | All nutrients |
🔬 Major Fertilizers – Formula
| Urea | CO(NH₂)₂ | 46% N |
| Ammonium sulfate | (NH₄)₂SO₄ | 21% N |
| Ammonium nitrate | NH₄NO₃ | 34% N |
| DAP | (NH₄)₂HPO₄ | 18% N, 46% P |
| Super Phosphate | Ca(H₂PO₄)₂ | 16% P |
| MOP | KCl | 60% K |
🌿 Natural fertilizers
| Manure | Cow dung |
| Compost | Compost |
| Green manure | Hemp, hemp |
| Vermicompost | Vermicompost |
🐛 Pesticides!
📊 Types of pesticides
| Type | English | to kill | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Insecticide | Insecticide | Insects | DDT, BHC, Malathion |
| Fungicide | Fungicide | Fungus | Bordeaux mixture |
| Herbicide | Herbicide | Weeds | 2,4-D |
| Rat killer | Rodenticide | Rat | Zinc Phosphide |
| Disinfectant | Germicide | Germ | Phenol, Dettol |
☠️ Major pesticides
| DDT | Dichloro Diphenyl Trichloroethane | Banned |
| BHC | Benzene Hexa Chloride | Prohibition |
| Endosulfan | - | Prohibition (Kerala) |
| Malathion | Organophosphate | Mosquito control |
| Pyrethrum | Nature | Chamomile |
| Neem Oil | Nature | Neem oil |
⚠️DDT, BHC, Endosulfan- Prohibited due to environmental pollution!
🌿 Biopesticides
| Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) | Bacterial basis |
| Trichoderma | Fungal base |
| NPV (Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus) | Viral basis |
⚙️ Metallurgy!
Ore → Metal extraction method
📊 Major Minerals - MASTER TABLE
| Metal | ore | formula |
|---|---|---|
| Iron (Fe) | Hematite | Fe₂O₃ |
| Iron | Magnetite | Fe₃O₄ |
| Aluminum (Al) | Bauxite | Al₂O₃.2H₂O |
| Copper (Cu) | Copper pyrite | CuFeS₂ |
| Zinc (Zn) | Zinc Blend | ZnS |
| Lead (Pb) | Galina | PbS |
| Silver (Ag) | Argentite | Ag₂S |
| Gold (Au) | In a separate state | Au |
🔧 Major Alloys
| composition | Content | benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Steel | Fe + C (0.5-1.5%) | Construction |
| Stainless steel | Fe + Cr + Ni | Utensil, knife |
| Brass | Cu + Zn | Character, decoration |
| Bronze | Cu + Sn | statue, bell |
| duralumin | Al + Cu + Mg + Mn | Airplane |
| Solder | Pb + Sn | Electrical connection |
| Amalgam | Hg + other metal | Dental filling |
💡 Metallurgical processes
| Roasting | Heating with air |
| Calcination | Airless heating |
| Smelting | Ore + Coke → Metal |
| Electrolysis | Extraction of Al |
⚠️ Food Adulteration!
📊 adulteration - detection MASTER TABLE
| Food | adulterated | detection |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | Water, Starch, Urea | Lactometer, iodine test |
| Honey | Sugar syrup | Water solubility test |
| Yellow | Metanil Yellow | HCl test – Pink |
| Chili powder | Brick powder, Sudan dye | Floating in water |
| Mustard oil | Argemone oil | HNO₃ test - red |
| Ghee | Vanaspati | HCl + sugar - red |
| Tea | Used leaf | Color dissolves in cold water |
| Black pepper | Papaya seed | Floating in water |
🏛️ Food Safety Laws
| FSSAI | Food Safety and Standards Authority of India | 2006 |
| PFA Act | Prevention of Food Adulteration Act | 1954 |
| ISI Mark | Indian Standards Institute | Quality assurance |
| Agmark | Agricultural Marketing | Agricultural products |
| FPO | Fruit Products Order | Fruit products |
☠️ Harmful impurities
| Metanil Yellow | Cancer |
| Argemone oil | Dropsy |
| Lead Chromate | Nerve damage |
| Rhodamine B | Cancer |
📝 TNPSC Main Questions & Shortcuts!
🎯 Frequently Asked Questions
| Q: LPG content? | ✅ Butane + Propane |
| Q: Why does LPG smell? | ✅ Ethyl Mercaptan |
| Q: CNG content? | ✅ Methane (CH₄) |
| Q: Urea formula? | ✅ CO(NH₂)₂ |
| Q: DDT expansion? | ✅ Dichloro Diphenyl Trichloroethane |
| Q: Brass content? | ✅ Cu + Zn |
| Q: Bronze content? | ✅ Cu + Sn (tin) |
| Q: Iron ore? | ✅ Hematite (Fe₂O₃) |
| Q: What is the ore of aluminum? | Bauxite |
| Q: When is FSSAI? | ✅ 2006 |
| Q: Detect adulteration in milk? | Lactometer |
💡 SUPER SHORTCUTS
⛽ Gas Reminder:
LPG= "L-P-G" = Liquefied Petroleum
CNG= Compressed
PNG= Piped = Piped way
🔧 Alloy Reminder:
Brass= Cu +Zn (PZN)
Bronze= Cu +Sn
🎯 Ore - Metal MATCH
| Hematite | Fe(iron) |
| Bauxite | Al(aluminum) |
| Copper pyrite | Cu(Copper) |
| Galina | Pb(lead) |
| Zinc Blend | Zn(Zinc) |
📋 Remember NPK
🎯N= Nitrogen =leafDevelopment
🎯P= phosphorus =Root, flower, fruit
🎯K= potassium =Disease resistance
💡"E-Way-No"= leaf-root-disease resistance (NPK sequence!)
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