OCR Text |
Show . r I se i,f Petroleum Inereaiiii. I It is an interesting fact that tho first ' tise to which petroleum was put in Eng land was not that of a luminaiit. lis chemical composition rendered it a most '" vnseful rni.'ilhiintrn-r.'rvVriTOTi!trinceS which havo a strong nfljuity for oxygen. Chemisls employed it in pres rving pi-'"""'raStrfrm pi-'"""'raStrfrm wnl .w.jfitm jiossessed or Rtnclred .y qualities. Hot naphtha, it was discovered, discov-ered, dissolved phosphorus and sulphur, and deposited thorn on cooling. It was found to be, too, an excellent solvent for gutta percha, caoutchouc, camphor, fatty and resinous bodies generally, and hence it was extensively used in the artM for these purposes. Its great use, how- ever, is as a source or arrinciai ngnr, and notwithstanding tho present llso of Coal gas and electric lighting the employment employ-ment of petroleum fur this purpose still increases. Chambers' Journal. |