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 in1825–35

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. 2022

How to use destructive distillation in a sentence

Desert Golfing is the distillation of Angry Birds into its purest essence.
Lost For Thousands of Strokes: 'Desert Golfing' Is 'Angry Birds' as Modern Art|Alec Kubas-Meyer|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Anger often manifests in withholders as another self-destructive but more socially acceptable feeling or behavior, like anxiety.
Can Self-Help Books Really Make a New You?|Lizzie Crocker|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It has a presence, it remains potentially destructive, but all we can do is attempt to marshal it.
Grief: The Real Monster in The Babadook|Tim Teeman|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To break her self-destructive cycle and heal, she decides to hike 1,100 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail solo.
Exclusive: The Making of Reese Witherspoon’s Golden Globe-Nominated ‘Wild’|Marlow Stern|December 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST

But the copper performs another important function: working as a catalyst in the distillation process.
When It Comes to Great Whisky, The Size of Your Still Matters||December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A tremendous tornado passed over the city of Natchez, very destructive to life and property.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
A destructive tornado swept over a portion of Lapeer county, Michigan.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
The planter passes entire nights, provided with lights, clearing the buds just opening, of these destructive insects.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
There is another effect from hurricanes which is even more destructive to life than that caused by the direct action of the wind.
Outlines of the Earth's History|Nathaniel Southgate Shaler
By that time, however, the Scots had completed another destructive raid.
King Robert the Bruce|A. F. Murison

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.