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methane
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- Methane - n. - A light, colorless, gaseous, inflammable hydrocarbon, CH4; marsh gas. See Marsh gas, under Gas.
- Paraffine - n. - 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.
- Trikosane - n. - A hydrocarbon, C23H48, of the methane series, resembling paraffin; -- so called because it has twenty-three atoms of carbon in the molecule.
- Petroleum - n. - Rock oil, mineral oil, or natural oil, a dark brown or greenish inflammable liquid, which, at certain points, exists in the upper strata of the earth, from whence it is pumped, or forced by pressure of the gas attending it. It consists of a complex mixture of various hydrocarbons, largely of the methane series, but may vary much in appearance, composition, and properties. It is refined by distillation, and the products include kerosene, benzine, gasoline, paraffin, etc.
- Kerosene - n. - An oil used for illuminating purposes, formerly obtained from the distillation of mineral wax, bituminous shale, etc., and hence called also coal oil. It is now produced in immense quantities, chiefly by the distillation and purification of petroleum. It consists chiefly of several hydrocarbons of the methane series.
- Tridecane - n. - A hydrocarbon, C13H28, of the methane series, which is a probable ingredient both of crude petroleum and of kerosene, and is produced artificially as a light colorless liquid.
- Pentane - n. - Any one of the three metameric hydrocarbons, C5H12, of the methane or paraffin series. They are colorless, volatile liquids, two of which occur in petroleum. So called because of the five carbon atoms in the molecule.
- Stethal - n. - One of the higher alcohols of the methane series, homologous with ethal, and found in small quantities as an ethereal salt of stearic acid in spermaceti.
- Methal - n. - A white waxy substance, found in small quantities in spermaceti as an ethereal salt of several fatty acids, and regarded as an alcohol of the methane series.
- Undecane - n. - A liquid hydrocarbon, C11H24, of the methane series, found in petroleum; -- so called from its containing eleven carbon atoms in the molecule.
- Methol - n. - The technical name of methyl alcohol or wood spirit; also, by extension, the class name of any of the series of alcohols of the methane series of which methol proper is the type. See Methyl alcohol, under Methyl.
- Nitromethane - n. - A nitro derivative of methane obtained as a mobile liquid; -- called also nitrocarbol.
- Octane - n. - Any one of a group of metametric hydrocarcons (C8H18) of the methane series. The most important is a colorless, volatile, inflammable liquid, found in petroleum, and a constituent of benzene or ligroin.