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When petroleum is taken to the refineries it is distilled into a finer end product. The residue which is the byproduct of the refining process is turned into petroleum ether. This byproduct is also called by other names. You will sometimes hear experts in the petroleum trade call this substance Benzine. Even though the name of the petroleum residue is called Benzine you should not confuse this with that of the aromatic compound called benzene. Benzine or X4 is a mixture of pentane, heptane and hexane. This mixture is considered as being a liquid hydrocarbon. The hydrocarbons like petroleum ether are used mainly as nonpolar solvents. The petroleum ether should also not be thought of as being an organic ether compound. The organic ether contains the -O- functional group in it. The other names that petroleum ether is called are that of Ligroine and Naphtha petroleum. The color of the residue is colorless but like all oils it is very volatile and flammable. The petroleum ether which is a distillate is placed between the lighter naphtha and the heavier kerosene. In general you can expect to find this substance having a very specific gravity amount. This gravity composition is dependent on the composition of the petroleum ether. The usual gravity of the fuel ether is that of 0.6 and 0.8. The other name of petroleum ether Ligroin is a saturated hydrocarbon petroleum that has been refined. This product is mainly used as a laboratory solvent. In this form the petroleum ether has a structure which is composed of paraffins, dicycloparaffins, monocycloparafins and also alkylbenzenes. This substance is also nonpolar. When this substance is being handled extra care has to be taken as petroleum ether is carcinogenic and a skin irritant. As this is the case protective clothing must be worn when the petroleum ether needs to be transported, handled or stored. In most cases the petroleum ether is used in lab experiments to know more about the functioning of petroleum itself. From this substance it is possible to find alternative ways of obtaining the petroleum fuel amounts which are required for various uses. The petroleum companies who are involved in the processes to find more sources of fuel are interested in the other applications that this byproduct of the petroleum refining produces. It is hoped that by understanding the other ways in which energy can be taken from the petroleum ether that a viable source of energy can be used from the byproduct like petroleum. Muna wa Wanjiru is a web administrator and has been researching and reporting on internet marketing for years. For more information on petroleum ether, visit his site at Petroleum Ether
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