Fractional distillation of petroleum
Destilación fraccionada del petróleo
- Date
- 1852-1855 · confidence high
- Place
- Lviv, Austrian Galicia; New Haven, Connecticut
- Credited to
- Ignacy Łukasiewicz (1852); Benjamin Silliman Jr. (1855 report)
- People
- 👤 Benjamin Silliman, Jr.1816–1885👤 Ignacy Łukasiewicz1822–1882
- Field
- Matter & energy
What it is
The separation of crude petroleum into fractions (naphtha, kerosene, lubricating oils, residues) by boiling range. Silliman's report convinced investors that petroleum was worth drilling for.
Łukasiewicz set up the first refinery at Ulaszowice (1856); Silliman worked at Yale (New Haven).
What it led to
- Industrial refineries (Cleveland, Pittsburgh) and Standard Oil
- Mineral lubricants for machinery
- Petrol as a worthless by-product until the automobile
- Petroleum chemistry
Built on
- Kerosene by distillation of petroleum (white naft)c. 900
- Kerosene lamp1853
- Alchemical and coal-tar distillation
- Gesner's kerosene
Made possible
- Lenoir gas engine1860
- Modern refinery
- Paraffin and petroleum jelly