Long-chain describes a molecule with a long chain of atoms.
COLLOCATIONS: ~ hydrocarbons~ molecules
In cracking, long-chain hydrocarbons are broken down into shorter ones.
At the refinery, long-chain hydrocarbons are isolated from the crude oil by fractional distillation, and theyare then broken into a mixture of shorter-chain hydrocarbons by cracking.
Long-chain describes a molecule with a long chain of atoms.