Definition of Paraffin. Meaning of Paraffin. Synonyms of Paraffin

Here you will find one or more explanations in English for the word Paraffin. Also in the bottom left of the page several parts of wikipedia pages related to the word Paraffin and, of course, Paraffin synonyms and on the right images related to the word Paraffin.

Definition of Paraffin

Paraffin
Paraffin Par"af*fin, Paraffine Par"af*fine, n. [F. paraffine, fr. L. parum too little + affinis akin. So named in allusion to its chemical inactivity.] (Chem.) A white waxy substance, resembling spermaceti, tasteless and odorless, and obtained from coal tar, wood tar, petroleum, etc., by distillation. It is used as an illuminant and lubricant. It is very inert, not being acted upon by most of the strong chemical reagents. It was formerly regarded as a definite compound, but is now known to be a complex mixture of several higher hydrocarbons of the methane or marsh-gas series; hence, by extension, any substance, whether solid, liquid, or gaseous, of the same chemical series; thus coal gas and kerosene consist largely of paraffins. Note: In the present chemical usage this word is spelt paraffin, but in commerce it is commonly spelt paraffine. Native paraffin. See Ozocerite. Paraffin series. See Methane series, under Methane.

Meaning of Paraffin from wikipedia

- Paraffin may refer to: Paraffin wax, a white or colorless soft solid (also in liquid form) that is used as a lubricant and for other applications Liquid...
- Paraffin wax (or petroleum wax) is a soft colorless solid derived from petroleum, coal, or oil shale that consists of a mixture of hydrocarbon molecules...
- Liquid paraffin, also known as paraffinum liquidum, paraffin oil, liquid paraffin oil or Russian mineral oil, is a very highly refined mineral oil used...
- Paraffin oil may refer to: (in British English) paraffin, called kerosene in North American English (in North American English) any of various hydrocarbon...
- In organic chemistry, an alkane, or paraffin (a historical trivial name that also has other meanings), is an acyclic saturated hydrocarbon. In other words...
- Liquid paraffin may refer to: Liquid paraffin (drug) Mineral oil In chemistry, a mixture of heavier alkanes This disambiguation page lists articles ****ociated...
- embedding media. For light microscopy, paraffin wax is the most frequently used embedding material. Paraffin is immiscible with water, the main constituent...
- best known for his method of distilling paraffin from coal and oil shales. He is often referred to as Paraffin Young. James Young was born in Shuttle Street...
- Kerosene, or paraffin, is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in aviation as well as households...
- hydrocarbons to waxes extracted from vegetable matter. Specific examples include paraffin waxes in the straight-chain n-alkanes series. These melt and solidify over...