Kerosene is that fraction of crude petroleum that boils between about 330° to 550° F (183° to 305° C) (i.e. the distillate cut between gasoline and heavy fuel oil). What is usually thought of as kerosene, the domestic fuel or "range oil" commonly used for space heaters, is only a small part of this fraction. Diesel fuel, aviation jet fuel, and No. 1 and No. 2 heating oils also come from this general boiling range.

History

Petroleum was discovered by Drake in Pennsylvania in 1859. It is a mixture of hydrocarbon compounds ranging from highly flammable volatile materials like propane and gasoline to heavy fuel oil, waxes, and asphalt. It was soon discovered that crude oil could be separated by distillatoin in to various factions according to their boiling point (molecular weight). Kerosene, a middle distillate, was the first product made from petroleum that had a substantial commercial market. The...