Oilfield chemicals play many roles in the field of exploration and production, including the optimization of cementing and drilling, as well as aiding in the development of new methods of developing fuel sources, such as fracturing.

Crude oils and refined petroleum products consist largely of hydrocarbons, which are chemicals composed solely of hydrogen and carbon in various molecular arrangements.

Examples of chemicals used to reduce formation damage in oil drilling include sodium silicate, potassium chloride, sodium chloride, ammonium chloride, lignosulfonate derivatives, partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide and poly (acrylamide-co-acrylic acid), and gypsum.

Major petrochemicals—including ethylene, propylene, acetylene, benzene, and toluene, as well as natural gas constituents like methane, propane, and ethane—are the feedstock chemicals for the production of many of the items we use and depend on every day.

Dispersants are chemicals that are sprayed on a surface oil slick to break down the oil into smaller droplets that more readily mix with the water. Dispersants do not reduce the amount of oil entering the environment, but push the effects of the spill underwater.

The lubrication additives, which are approximately 20% of the oil, consist primarily of zinc diaryl, molybdenum disulfide, zinc dithiophosphate, metal soaps, and other organometallic compounds.