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

See Examples For:

destructive distillation

In the mean time, artificial oil had begun to be produced in large quantities from different minerals, principally, however, from cannel coal, by the process of destructive distillation.

From The Continental Monthly, Vol. 5, No. 2, February, 1864 Devoted To Literature And National Policy by Various

The lower-grade qualities are often produced from the destructive distillation of sawdust, stumpage, etc., and these products, on account of their content of formaldehyde, are objectionable in odor.

From Paint Technology and Tests by Henry A. Gardner

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

The illuminating gas which is obtained from coal by destructive distillation consists chiefly of hydrogen and gaseous hydrocarbons, the most abundant of the latter being marsh gas.

From Coal and What We Get from It by Raphael Meldola

This arises from the destructive distillation of imperfectly carbonized organic matter.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3 "Frost" to "Fyzabad" by Various