Mineral oil Cat

The term mineral oil is used synonymously with crude oil in the broader sense. Mineral oil products generally refer to petroleum products.

The term mineral oil was introduced at the end of the 18th century[1] to distinguish oil extracted from underground deposits from vegetable oils.

Mineral oils in the narrower sense are the base oils produced by distilling crude oil. Since the middle of the 20th century, synthetic oils have been produced from natural gas or wood and coal gasification, which are similar in composition to mineral oils. Certain refined base oils are also referred to as synthetic oils.

In contrast to fats and fatty oils (triglycerides, also trifatty acid esters of glycerol), mineral oils and mineral fats, which have similar physical properties, consist of paraffinic (saturated chain-shaped hydrocarbons), naphthenic (saturated ring-shaped hydrocarbons) and aromatic (ring-shaped hydrocarbons with an aromatic double bond system) components. Mineral oils also contain alkenes (olefins) as well as small quantities of sulphur-containing and nitrogen-containing organic compounds, which vary depending on their origin.

Petroleum products

Bottle with white oil (mineral oil), also known as kerosene oil.
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Mineral oils are often produced as by-products during the fractionation of crude oil into fuel and solvents.

Highly refined medical white oils for cosmetic and medical applications are also classified as mineral oils, but consist almost exclusively of alkanes and cycloalkanes, i.e. saturated hydrocarbons. The other components have previously been removed from the corresponding petroleum fraction by catalytic hydrogenation, oleum refining or other technical processes. Kerosene oil for skin cosmetics and kerosene for candles consist of a mixture of almost pure alkanes.

Bitumen remains as a residue from mineral oil rectification. It is mainly used as a binder in asphalt for road and path construction or, after further processing, as a sealant and adhesive for various applications in building construction and civil engineering.[2] Alternatively, short-chain hydrocarbons and thus higher-value products can also be produced from bitumen in the refinery using various cracking processes.[3]