Petroleum Chemistry Articles ORIGIN OIL EARTH Petroleum (English: petroleum, from Latin petrus - coral and oleum - oil), dubbed also as black gold, is a viscous liquid, dark brown, or flammable greenness, which lies at the top of some areas of the Earth's crust . Petroleum consists of a complex mixture of various hydrocarbons, mostly alkanes, but varies in appearance, composition, and purity. Some scientists claim that oil is an abiotic substance, which means it is not derived from fossils but derives from inorganic substances produced naturally in the bowels of the earth. However, this view is doubtful in the scientific environment. 1. Formation of Petroleum, Natural Gas, and Coal Energy sources that are widely used for cooking, motor vehicles and industries derived from petroleum, natural gas and coal. These three types of fuel come from weathering the remains of organisms so called fossil fuels. Petroleum and natural gas are derived from corpses of sea, plants and animals t...