kerosene

[Gr. kēros =wax; -ene.] Chem.: Refined petroleum. A name given to the principal product of the distillation of petroleum, the crude domestic oil yielding 70 per cent. of its weight. It is also obtained from bituminous shale. It is a colorle oil, po e ing a characteristic taste and smell; insoluble in water, moderately soluble in alcohol, but very soluble in ether, chlorophosphorus, sulphur, fats, wax, and many resins. form, and benzene. It di olves camphor, iodine, The flashing point of a safe kerosene should not be le than 34°, and the igniting point 43°. The finest quality of illuminating oil is produced from dis tillates ranging in specific gravity from 0775 to 0.780. It has a high flashing point, 48° to 60°, and contains none of the lighter parts of the crude oil. A good illuminating oil should neither be too viscous nor too volatile, and it should not take fire when a light is applied to it. [PETROLEUM.] kěr-o-so-lēne, s. [KEROSENE.] Chem.: Petroleum ether. An extremely inflam mable, colorle oil, having a faint odor of petroleum, obtained from the crude oil by distillation. It boils between 50 and 60°, and has a specific gravity of 0.665. It is used as a solvent for fats, as a remedy for rheumatic pains, and as a local anæsthetic.