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The different chains have different properties and behave differently. For example, the oil contains one carbon atom chain. This is the lightest chain and is known as methane. Methane is a light gas and floats like helium. As the chains in the crude oil get longer, they get heavier.
The first four hydrocarbon chains in crude oil are methane, ethane, propane and butane. They are all gases and boil at -161, -88, -46 and -1 degrees Fahrenheit respectively. These chains are the building blocks for gasoline. In America, propane is the gas that is used to heat homes and run cars and vehicles.
The different chains have progressively higher boiling points and are separated from each other by means of a process called distillation. This process takes place in an oil refinery wherein the crude oil is heated by means of superheated steam so that the different chains vaporize at their vaporization temperatures. The vaporized chains are then collected in a condensation tray where they cool down and liquefy. This liquefied propane is then further refined and put through a series of processes which ultimately goes to form the gasoline we use to run our vehicles so that we can take our kids to school, buy groceries and go to work.
The gasoline is then stored in an in-house storage facility from where it is dispatched to filling stations around the country.
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Crude oil is the most actively traded commodity in the world. The NYMEX’s (New York Mercantile Exchange) light sweet crude oil futures contract is the most liquid forum for crude oil trading in the world. It is also the world’s largest volume futures contract trading on a physical commodity. The NYMEX Division is used as the main international pricing benchmark. 
