Kerosene by distillation of petroleum (white naft)
Queroseno por destilación del petróleo (nafta blanca)
- Date
- c. 900 · confidence medium
- Place
- Rayy, Tehran, Iran
- Credited to
- Abu Bakr al-Razi (Rhazes)
- People
- 👤 Al-Razi866–925
- Field
- Matter & energy
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
In his Kitab al-Asrar, al-Razi describes distilling crude petroleum to obtain a clear, volatile naphtha, used in lamps and as fuel. It is the oldest documented distillation of petroleum.
The exact identification of the product with modern kerosene is approximate; the texts give no boiling points.
What it led to
- naphtha lamps in the Islamic world
- incendiary weapons using distilled naphtha
- petroleum refining