destructive distillation

American  

noun

Chemistry.

1. the decomposition of a substance, as wood or coal, by heating with a minimal exposure to air, and the collection of the volatile products formed.

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destructive distillation British  

noun

1. the decomposition of a complex substance, such as wood or coal, by heating it in the absence of air and collecting the volatile products

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destructive distillation Scientific  

/ dĭ-strŭk′tĭv /

1. A process by which organic substances such as wood, coal, and oil shale are broken down by heat in the absence of air. This causes them to break down into solids, liquids, and gases, which are then used to make products such as coke, charcoal, oils, and ammonia.

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Etymology

Origin of destructive distillation

First recorded in 1825–35

Example Sentences

It is obtained from wood by destructive distillation in close vessels.

From The American Reformed Cattle Doctor by Dadd, George

The tar used in the manufacturing of tar soap is obtained by the destructive distillation of wood, the pine tar being the most extensively employed.

From Soap-Making Manual A Practical Handbook on the Raw Materials, Their Manipulation, Analysis and Control in the Modern Soap Plant. by Thomssen, E. G.

It is found amongst the products of the destructive distillation of a great many organic bodies, but the most abundant source is coal-tar.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various

Pyrox′yle, Pyrox′ylin, -e, gun-cotton.—Pyroxylic spirit, a mixture of acetone, methyl-alcohol, acetate of methyl, &c., obtained by the destructive distillation of wood in the manufacture of pyroligneous acid.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R) by Various

The tobacco-pipe experiment of our boyhood is our first practical introduction to the destructive distillation of coal.

From Coal and What We Get from It by Meldola, Raphael