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An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and is hydrophobic but soluble in organic solvents. Oils have a high carbon and hydrogen content and are nonpolar substances. The general definition above includes compound classes with otherwise unrelated chemical structures, properties and uses, including vegetable oils, petrochemical oils, and volatile essential oils. All oils can be traced back to organic sources.
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Applications
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Food
Many edible plant and animal oils and fats are used in cooking and food preparation. In particular, many foods are fried in oil much hotter than boiling water. Oils are also used for flavoring and for modifying the texture of some foods e.g. stir fry.
Health advantages are claimed for a number of specific oils such as omega 3 oils (fish oil, flaxseed oil, etc), evening primrose oil, and olive oil. Trans fats, often produced by hydrogenating vegetable oils, are known to be harmful to health.
Hair
Oil is used on hair to give it a lustrous look. It helps to avoid tangles and roughness to the hair. It also helps the hair to be stabilised and grow faster.
Fuel
Main article: petroleumAlmost all oils burn in aerosol form generating heat, which can be used directly, or converted into other forms of fuels by various means. The oil that is pumped from the ground is then shipped via oil tanker to an oil refinery. There, it is converted from crude oil to diesel fuel (petrodiesel), ethane (and other short-chain alkanes), fuel oils (heaviest of commercial fuels, used in ships/furnaces), gasoline (petrol), jet fuel, kerosene and liquefied petroleum gas.
Electricity generation
Oil and any of its more refined products are often used to create electricity. This is done by means of a steam engine. The steam engine turns the thermal energy into rotary motion, which can then be transformed into electricity, by means of a generator.
Heat transport
Many oils have higher boiling points than water and are electrical insulators, making them useful for liquid cooling systems, especially where electricity is used.
Lubrication
Due to their non-polarity, oils do not easily adhere to other substances. This makes oils useful as lubricants for various engineering purposes. Mineral oils are more suitable than biological oils, which degrade rapidly in most environmental conditions.
Painting
Color pigments can be easily suspended in oil, making it suitable as supporting medium for paints. The slow drying process and miscibility of oil facilitates a realistic style. This method has been used since the 15th century.
Petrochemicals
Main article: PetrochemicalsCrude oil can be processed into petroleum; 'petrochemicals' are chemical products made from raw materials of petroleum or other hydrocarbon origin. They are used in products such as detergents, fertilizers, medicines, paints, plastics, synthetic fibres, and synthetic rubber.
Other uses
Sulfuric acid has been called oil of vitriol in pre-scientific times, due to its viscous consistency. Even in modern times, it is sometimes called vitriolic acid, and caustic personalities are called "vitriolic". Sulfuric acid is not a petrochemical, and in modern parlance, is not an oil.
Religion
Oils have been used throughout history as a fragrant or religious medium. Oil is often seen as a spiritually purifying agent. It is used in religious ceremonies, such as the chrism used in baptism, and has traditionally been used to anoint kings and queens. Oil that is associated with one or more saints is known as "oil of saints" and believed by some to have beneficial properties, as is "oil of martyrs".
See also
- Emulsifier, allow oils and water to mix
- Wax, compounds with oil-like properties that are solid at common temperature
References
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