Coal oil is an oil used for illuminating purposes, also called "kerosene" or "lamp oil." It was formerly obtained from the destructive distillation of coal, mineral wax, bituminous shale, etc., and hence called coal oil. It is now produced primarily by the fractional distillation and purification of petroleum.

It consists mainly of several hydrocarbons of the alkane series, having from 10 to 16 carbon atoms in each molecule, and having a higher boiling point (175–325°C) than gasoline or the petroleum ethers, and a lower boiling point than the oils. See also kerosene.

Oils