Definitions

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  • noun Plural form of paraffin.

Etymologies

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Examples

  • So with the long list of hydrocarbons -- gaseous, liquid, and solid -- called paraffins, that are obtained from petroleum and that are all composed of hydrogen and carbon, but with a different number of atoms of each, like a different number of a's or b's or c's in a word.

    The Breath of Life John Burroughs 1879

  • These hydrocarbons are known to chemists as "paraffins,"

    Acetylene, the Principles of Its Generation and Use W. J. Atkinson Butterfield

  • Late last year, the agency quietly said that it would review the safety of phthalates, long-chain perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and short-chain chlorinated paraffins.

    Industrial Chemicals Lurking In Your Bloodstream 2010

  • "The project will also result in increased production of medium waxes, mostly used for the candle industry in southern Africa, as well as liquid paraffins used in a variety of industrial applications."

    ANC Daily News Briefing 2008

  • Deasphalting also removes some sulfur and nitrogen compounds, metals, carbon residues, and paraffins from the feedstock.

    Asphalt 2008

  • There are basically four kinds of "reactive organics" that are important in smog photochemistry: paraffins, olefins, aromatics, and carbonyl compounds aldehydes and ketones, the latter being more commonly formed in the smog process than emitted outright.

    Hot Buttered James Killus 2008

  • I'm taking a bit of a liberty here by omitting alcohols, ethers, and other oxygenated compounds, partly because, ethanol and MTBE notwithstanding, they still don't amount to a large fraction of the mix, and partly because their photochemistry is pretty close to that of paraffins, or ketones that don't photolyze, i.e. break up by the direct action of sunlight.

    Hot Buttered James Killus 2008

  • The early days of smog chemistry were dominated by research into the chemistry of paraffins and olefins, so much so, in fact, that it wasn't until the mid-1970s that researchers realized that the photolysis of aldehydes and ketones was the primary source of catalytic radicals in the smog formation process.

    Hot Buttered James Killus 2008

  • The branched-chain (isomer) paraffins are usually found in heavier fractions of crude oil and have higher octane numbers than normal paraffins.

    Hydrocarbon chemistry 2007

  • These compounds are more reactive than paraffins or naphthenes and readily combine with other elements such as hydrogen, chlorine, and bromine.

    Hydrocarbon chemistry 2007

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