What is kerosene?

Kerosene, also known as paraffin, is a mixture of hydrocarbons obtained through the distillation of petroleum. Pure kerosene is a colorless, transparent liquid, and with impurities, it appears pale yellow. It has a slight odor. The boiling range is 180–310°C (though this is not absolute and often adjusted during production), with an average molecular weight of 200–250. Its melting point is above -40°C. Kerosene is primarily used as fuel for lamps, blowtorches, stoves, and kerosene heaters. It can also be used as a cleaning agent for mechanical parts, a solvent in the rubber and pharmaceutical industries, an ink thinner, a cracking feedstock in organic chemistry, and as fuel in glass, ceramics, and aluminum rolling processes, as well as for the surface chemical heat treatment of metal parts. Some kerosene is also used to make thermometers. It can be divided into different types, such as aviation kerosene and lighting kerosene, based on its use.

What is paraffin?

Paraffin is a solid crystalline mixture of straight-chain hydrocarbons, with molecular chains ranging from C20 to C30 or even higher, i.e., CH3(CH2)nCH3, where n ≥ 18. It is solid at room temperature (25°C, 77°F) and has low viscosity when melted (99°C, 210°F at 35–45 SUS viscosity). However, unlike petroleum wax, petroleum jelly (petrolatum), although solid at room temperature, contains both solid and liquid hydrocarbons. It is essentially a low-melting-point, ductile, microcrystalline wax. Paraffin has widespread applications in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, paper, candle-making, electrical, synthetic rubber, and textile industries. It is produced from lubricating oil distillates obtained through crude oil distillation, followed by solvent refining, solvent dewaxing, or wax cold crystallization, pressing dewaxing to obtain wax paste, then deoiling and further refining to produce sheet or needle-like crystalline paraffin. Depending on the degree of refinement, it can be divided into fully refined paraffin, semi-refined paraffin, and crude paraffin.

The relationship between kerosene and paraffin

Kerosene (kerosene) is also known as paraffin, a combustible hydrocarbon liquid derived from petroleum. It is widely used as fuel for aviation and households. The name comes from the Greek word "kērós," meaning "wax," and was trademarked by Nova Scotia geologist and inventor Abraham Gesner in 1854. It later evolved into a generic term. In scientific and industrial use, it is sometimes spelled as kerosene.

The term "kerosene" is common in Argentina, Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Nigeria, and most parts of the United States, while "paraffin" (or closely related variants) is used in Chile, East Africa, South Africa, Norway, and the United Kingdom. In most of Asia and the southeastern U.S., the equivalent term is "lamp oil," though in the Appalachian region, it is often called "kerosene."

Confusingly, the term "paraffin" is used to refer to various petroleum by-products, other than kerosene. For example, liquid paraffin (commonly referred to as mineral oil in the U.S.) is a thicker, more refined petroleum product. To avoid confusion between kerosene and the more flammable and volatile gasoline, some regions mandate specific labeling or color coding for containers used for storing and distributing kerosene. For example, in Pennsylvania, portable containers for kerosene sold at retail stations must be blue to distinguish them from red containers for gasoline or yellow ones for diesel.

What's the difference between kerosene and paraffin?

The terms kerosene and paraffin are sometimes used interchangeably, but there are differences between them. Kerosene is actually a specific type of paraffin, while the general paraffin used for heating is also often referred to as kerosene. In practical application, although these terms can be used interchangeably, paraffin encompasses a broader range of products, including other forms of paraffin wax.

Can you mix paraffin and kerosene?

You should not mix paraffin and kerosene. Kerosene contains more sulfur than paraffin, which can irritate the eyes, throat, and respiratory system. Using kerosene in a paraffin heater is especially problematic as it can clog the equipment and produce soot, leading to long-term damage. Paraffin is a refined form of kerosene, with most impurities removed; thus, burning kerosene with additional contaminants may result in serious maintenance issues and could cause irreversible damage to your heater.

References:

1. https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E7%85%A4%E6%B2%B9
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerosene
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraffin_wax
4. https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E7%9F%B3%E8%9C%A1
5. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/materials-science/paraffin-oil
6. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemical-engineering/paraffin-wax