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paraffine

paraffine


  1  definition  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  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}.