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In January, 1913, William Merriam Burton saw the first battery of twelve stills used in the thermal cracking of petroleum products go into operation at Standard Oil of Indiana’s Whiting refinery. Although the process would quickly be modified and more efficient techniques and apparatus would be employed by the early 1920’s, the Burton process started a multifaceted revolution within the American petroleum industry not only in terms of products made but also in the sense that university-trained scientists were now recognized as possessing expertise that could lead to enhanced corporate profits.

In the petroleum industry, cracking refers to the chemical conversion process following the distillation of crude oil, by which fractions and residue with long-chain hydrocarbon molecules are broken down into short-chain hydrocarbons. Cracking is accomplished under pressure by thermal or catalytic means and by injecting extra hydrogen. Cracking is done because short-chain hydrocarbons, such as gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel, are more commercially valuable than long-chain hydrocarbons, such as fuel and bunker oil. Steam cracking of light gases or light naphtha is used in the petrochemical industry to obtain lighter alkenes, which are important petrochemical raw products.