CHEMISTRY OF A PINT OF KEROSENE. 49 



this progressive age, and its history and nature 

 worthy of examination and study. 



The name, " kerosene," is rather a fanciful one. 

 It originated with one of the early manufacturers, 

 and has now come to possess a general significance. 

 It is applied not only to the oil distilled from coals, 

 but to the illuminating liquid which comes from 

 rock-oil, or petroleum. It is needful that this im- 

 portant body should have a name, generally under- 

 stood and adopted ; and perhaps the word " kero- 

 sene " is as good as any that could be suggested. 



Before the discovery of petroleum, kerosene was 

 manufactured from soft or bituminous coals by a 

 peculiar process of distillation. The statement 

 seems paradoxical, or contradictory, that there is 

 not a particle of oil, or gas, or naphtha, in a lump 

 of this variety of coal, when it is known that from 

 it the chemist not only produces them in large 

 quantities, but a dozen or more other bodies, of 

 very remarkable and diverse natures. A lump of 

 coal is capable of yielding olefiant or illuminating 

 gas, hydrogen, sulphydric acid, sulphurous acid, 

 ammonia, kerosene, kerosolene, benzine, benzoline, 

 naphtha, naphthaline, paraffine^ creosote, carbolic 

 acid, tar, pitch, asphaltum, and some other sub- 

 stances ; and yet, as isolated bodies, most of these 

 cannot be said to exist at all in the coal. Their 

 production is due to the manipulating processes to 

 4 



