What does ligroin mean?
Ligroin is a light, volatile fraction of petroleum that appears as a colorless or faintly colored liquid. It developed historic importance as a fuel, particularly in early vehicles and lamps, but its modern uses are mainly industrial: it acts as a solvent for oily, waxy, and resinous substances in cleaning, coating, laboratory, and manufacturing processes. Because it evaporates readily and can ignite, ligroin must be handled with appropriate ventilation and away from flames or sparks. Although the alternative term petroleum ether is familiar, the two names are not interchangeable in every technical context, since petroleum fractions and commercial products can vary in composition and boiling range. Ligroin is thus an example of a once-common domestic fuel that survives chiefly as a specialist industrial solvent.
nounLigroin is a volatile, colorless petroleum distillate used chiefly as a solvent for oils, fats, waxes, and resins. It is also called petroleum ether, though related petroleum fractions may differ slightly in composition and boiling range.
- A light, volatile petroleum distillate used as a solvent and, in earlier periods, as fuel.
"The technician dissolved the residue in ligroin before filtering it."
"He washed the laboratory glassware with ligroin after the experiment."
"Ligroin was used as an early fuel for spark-ignition engines."
Ligroin sounds like a distant planet, but it is the highly flammable liquid that once powered many early automobiles.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does ligroin come from?
Ligroin is a nineteenth-century term associated with the commercial naming of light petroleum distillates. Its precise name origin is uncertain, so the name is best understood as an established trade term rather than a word with a securely traceable classical root.
How ligroin is actually used
The term is now chiefly technical and industrial. It is uncommon in general English, and safety information should always be consulted because petroleum solvents are flammable and may be hazardous by inhalation or prolonged skin exposure.
Easily confused with ligroin
Ligroin is a relatively light petroleum fraction used especially as a solvent, whereas naphtha is a broader term for more volatile flammable petroleum mixtures.