Synthesis gas is a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen used to make ammonia and methanol. Ammonia is used to make the fertilizer urea and methanol is used as a solvent and chemical intermediate. Steam crackers are not to be confused with steam reforming plants used to produce hydrogen and ammonia. Petroleum benzine is a hydrocarbon-based solvent mixture that is classified by its physical properties (e.g. Boiling point, vapor pressure) rather than a specific chemical composition, often obfuscating distinction within the long list of petroleum distillate solvent mixtures: mineral spirits, naphtha, white spirits, petroleum spirits, turps substitute, mineral turpentine, petroleum benzine.
[:Theword petroleum derived from the Latin ‘Petra’ and ‘Oleum’, literally means'rock oil' and refers to hydrocarbons that occur in sedimentary rocksof the Earth's crust]
Petroleum distillates is the termcommonly used to refer to aliphatic hydrocarbons. Aliphatic hydrocarbons canactually be divided into two groups: petroleum distillates and syntheticparaffinic hydrocarbons. We use petroleum distillates to mean both types ofproducts.
•Petroleumdistillates include mineral spirits, kerosene, white spirits, naphtha, and Stoddardsolvent. These products may contain trace amounts of benzene and other aromatics.
• Whencompared to petroleum distillates, the paraffinic hydrocarbons have lower flammability,lower aromatic content, narrower boiling range, and higher solvency. They arealso more expensive than the petroleum distillates.
• Thepetroleum distillates (and paraffinic hydrocarbons) work well on hard-to clean organicsoils such as heavy oil and ease, tar, and waxes.
• Theseproducts typically have low liquid surface tensions (22 to 28 dynes/cm).Thisallows them to penetrate and clean small spaces.
• Petroleumdistillates typically operate at near room temperatures. This is due to theflammability of the products. However, the flash points may be higher than thatof terpenes.
• Petroleumdistillates are usually used in immersion baths.
• UltraSonic’s may or may not work, depending on the particular product.
• Petroleumdistillates can typically handle high soil loads.
• When thecleaning power of the bath is exhausted, the entire bath usually needs to bereplaced.
• Petroleumdistillates are compatible with most materials including most elastomers.Mineral spirits may not be compatible with EPDM, SBR, and Silicone.
• Petroleumdistillates are frequently used in manual wipe-down processes.
• Aliphatichydrocarbons are often blends containing oxygenated hydrocarbons.
Flashpoints are higher than that of terpenes and traditional solvents. Lower flash pointsmean faster drying but more danger of burning.
Distillation is the basic process usedto separate and purify the components of crude oil
Anyone making a blanket statement thatproducts containing petroleum distillates (which include Silicone) are harmfulhas no real knowledge of petroleum refining. The advancement of this type ofmisinformation is usually meant to take advantage of the consumer's lack ofknowledge in order to sell something that wouldn't sell otherwise, whichreflects the seamier side of negative marketing / advertising.
Petroleum distillates, also calledhydrocarbons or petrochemicals, refer to a broad range of compounds, thicknatural oil obtained from beneath the earth, which are extracted bydistillation during the refining of crude oil. During the fractional distillationof petroleum, crude oil is heated to (Catalytic cracking) allow variouscompounds to turn from liquid into vapour and then captured as they rise, cool,and condense.
Lighter, more volatile compounds risehigher before they condense and are collected on distillation trays. Heavier,less volatile compounds such as diesel fuel and oil are collected on lowerdistillation trays. Waxes and asphalts are collected from the bottom after theother products have volatilized.
Petroleum distillates are found in a widevariety of consumer-products including lip gloss, liquid gas, fertilizer,furniture polish, pesticides, plastics, paint thinners, solvents, motor oil,fuels and hundreds of other products. That a product contains petroleumdistillates does not necessarily make that product harmful but it does dependupon which petroleum distillate is used and whither it has been furtherpurified Petroleum distillates listed commonly on labels of general householdproducts are those that distil off around naphtha’s. Petroleum jelly, apetroleum distillate product, is generally regarded as non-toxic.
Petroleum distillates contain botharomatic hydrocarbons (carbon rings) and aliphatic hydrocarbons (straightcarbon chains). The chemical structure of the hydrocarbon largely defines thenature and behaviour of these compounds.
Distillates[: a substance that hasbeen distilled to remove impurities] Distillationis the basic process used to separate and purify the components of crude oil;the distilled or purified portion of crude oil usually contains three generalclasses of compounds: Aromatic, Naphthenic and Paraffinic Hydrocarbons.
a) Aromatichydrocarbons- [:the term 'aromatic' was assigned before the physical mechanism determiningaromaticity was discovered, and was derived from the fact that many of thecompounds have a sweet scent, the term aromatic in chemistry is no longerassociated with aroma, and many aromatic compounds have no smell]are the most toxic compounds found in petroleum products,and include such substances as naphthalene, xylene, toluene, and benzene.
Mostaromatic hydrocarbons are long-term toxins and known cancer causing agents,they are great solvents and a base for many types of useful compounds. Theconfiguration of six carbon atoms in aromatic compounds is known as a benzenering, after the simplest possible such hydrocarbon, benzene. Aromatichydrocarbons can be monocyclic or polycyclic. They are a perfect ingredient formaking such things carburettor cleaner or a tar remover where strong solvencyis needed.
b)Naphthenic hydrocarbons- (aka Cyclo paraffins) after further distillationaliphatic are used to make Naphthenic oil, a type of mineral oil. In contrastwith paraffinic oils, naphthenic oils contain only low to no proportion ofn-alkanes, being based on cycloalkanes (naphthenes) instead. Thelow-temperature behaviour of naphthenic oils is better than of paraffinic oils,making them suitable for applications that require low pour point. Thedegradation products of naphthenic oils are soluble in the oils, leading tofewer problems with formations of sludge’s and deposits. Naphthenic oils havedifferent solvent properties than paraffinic oils. Naphthenic oils arecharacterized by high proportion of cyclic hydrocarbon fraction. The conventionis that when the paraffinic carbon content is less than 55-60%, the oil islabelled as naphthenic.
Theprincipal uses of naphthenic oils are as transformer oils, coolants, solvents,cutting fluids, and some lubricants, .light oils, solvents and even as a base forthings like detergents and paint dryers and include methane, propane, andkerosene,
c)Aliphatic hydrocarbons - the simplest aliphatic compound is methane (CH4). Aliphaticinclude alkanes such as fatty acids and paraffin hydrocarbons, alkenes (such asethylene) and alkynes (such as acetylene).In organic chemistry, compoundscomposed of carbon and hydrogen are divided into two classes: aromaticcompounds, which contain benzene rings or similar rings of atoms, and aliphaticcompounds (G. aleiphar, fat, oil), which do not contain aromatic rings.
Inaliphatic compounds, carbon atoms can be joined together in straight chains,branched chains, or non-aromatic rings (in which case they are calledalicyclic). They can be joined by single bonds (alkanes), double bonds(alkenes), or triple bonds (alkynes). Besides hydrogen, other elements can bebound to the carbon chain, the most common being oxygen, nitrogen, sulphur, andchlorine. Most aliphatic compounds are flammable, allowing the use ofhydrocarbons as fuel, such as methane in Bunsen burners, and acetylene inwelding.
d) Paraffin[: the name is derived from the Latin parum (= barely) + affinis with themeaning here of 'lacking affinity', or 'lacking reactivity”] -the simplest paraffin molecule is that of methane, CH4, a gas at roomtemperature. Heavier members of the series, such as that of octane C8H18,appear as liquids at room temperature. The solid forms of paraffin, calledparaffin wax, are from the heaviest molecules from C20H42 to C40H82. Paraffin waxwas identified by Carl Reichenbach in 1830] paraffin compounds have much lesssolvency and usually are purified further.
They are used in a myriad ofconsumer products, such as a coating for milk cartons and as ingredients inmany lotions and skin creams. Crystal clear white oils are used as a laxative,to coat pans in bakeries and as a base for medicines. Paraffin wax refers tothe solids with n=20–40. Paraffin compounds are perfect for use as a componentin automotive waxes and polishes and those products used to treat paintedsurfaces, vinyl and plastic. Further purification produces Cyclo Paraffin andit is used in many pharmaceutical and skin beauty products, they are also usedin car care waxes and polishes, they are used as a carrier system as they easilydissolve wax and provide spread ability and a lubricant for waxes, machinepolishes and glazes.
e) CycloParaffin - hydrocarbons are used in many car care products and perform manydifferent and important functions. They are also used in many cleaning productsas solvents to quickly emulsify oils, grease road tar and grime. They will notharm plastics, vinyl or rubber nor will they remove any important componentslike flex agents, plasticizers and etc., while it helps to clean and replacenecessary oils to their surface. Waxes derived from petroleum are much easierto recover, and offer a wide range of physical properties that can often betailored by refining processes.
Mostproducers offer two distinct types of petroleum waxes;
1.Paraffin- [:liquid paraffin has a number of names, including nujol, mineralspirits, adepsine oil, alboline, glymol, liquid paraffin, medicinal paraffin,saxol, or USP mineral oil] distinguished by large, well-formed crystals andmicro-crystalline, higher melting waxes with small, irregular crystals. Someproducers also sell 'intermediate' wax, the boiling range cut wherethe transition in crystal size and structure occurs. Paraffin wax produced frompetroleum is essentially a pure mixture of normal and iso-alkanes without theesters, acids, etc. found in the animal and vegetable-based waxes. A typicalcomposition for mineral spirits: aliphatic solvent hexane having a maximumaromatic hydrocarbon content of 0.1% by volume, is listed as a potentialcarcinogen in the MSDS
2. Petroleumwax - producers also characterize wax by degree of refinement: fully refinedparaffin has oil content generally less than 0.5%, and fully-refinedmicro-crystalline less than 1.5%; 'slack wax' - precursors to thefully refined versions in either case would have oil content above 2% and ashigh as 35% by weight.
3. Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) protection- The use of petroleum distillates allowspremium ultra violet (UV) radiation absorbers to be included in the formulation(as an oil-in-water emulsion or by utilizing a resin as its carrier system) asthe most effective ones are not soluble in water. This can provide excellentprotection against deterioration, chalking and fading caused by sunlight forvarious plastics, rubber and vinyl dressings. It should be noted that theprotection needs to be renewed periodically as it lessens over time.
Silicone(Siloxane) oils - are polymers that include silicon together with carbon,hydrogen, oxygen, and sometimes other chemical elements, which provide an excellentlubricant that when used as a carrier system in polishes and waxes that makesthem easier to apply and remove When used in paints and other coatings itensures an even flow through a spray nozzle ensuring an even productdistribution. It not silicone that you need worry about, just the 'type' (whatit’s formulated with) you need to be aware of. Silicone oils provide anexcellent lubricant that when used as a carrier system in polishes and waxesthat makes them easier to apply and remove When used in paints and othercoatings it ensures an even flow through a spray nozzle ensuring an evenproduct distribution.
Productsthat contain petroleum distillates must be labelled with the phrase, “Containspetroleum distillates”, regardless of the properties of the distillate used inits formulation. This labelling is mandated by the Consumer Product SafetyCommission (a federal government agency) this warning is provided to helpdoctors and emergency personnel decide how best to treat in gestation. Thesewarnings have nothing to do with product performance or suitability; thedirections for use and other cautions are for information only
Information resource
1.U.S. Environmental Protection Agency website
3.American Association of Industrial Hygiene (AAIH)
5.National Petrochemical & Refiners Association (NPRA)
6.U.S. National Library of Medicine - http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/index.htm
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