| Paraffin (paraffin) |
|---|
| n. | (p r"f*f***ibreve]n) |
|---|
| Par"af*fin |
|
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.
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In celebration of Noah Webster's Birthday (October 16, 2009), we have prepared an updated website. 