destructive distillation

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noun Chemistry.

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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Origin of destructive distillation

First recorded in 1825–35

Words nearby destructive distillation

destructible, destruction, destructionist, destructive, destructive competition, destructive distillation, destructive interference, destructo, destructor, desuetude, desulfur

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use destructive distillation in a sentence

Tannic and Gallic Acids yield the same set of products when submitted to destructive distillation.
The Action of Medicines in the System|Frederick William Headland
The tobacco-pipe experiment of our boyhood is our first practical introduction to the destructive distillation of coal.
Coal|Raphael Meldola
This arises from the destructive distillation of imperfectly carbonized organic matter.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3|Various
Tar is an oily, dark colored, product obtained in the destructive distillation of pine wood.
A Pictorial Booklet on Early Jamestown Commodities and Industries|J. Paul Hudson

On destructive distillation the leaves yield much gas, 10,000 cub.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 8|Various

British Dictionary definitions for destructive distillation

destructive distillation

noun

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for destructive distillation

destructive distillation

[ dĭ-strŭk′tĭv ]

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.