in czech republic naphtha is used as the word for the fuel that we call diesel and yet it seems to me that naphtha is a higher fraction from the distillation process than diesel. i could understand it if diesel came from naphtha but it seems that isn't the case.
2006-11-13 00:30:00 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
Naptha (common usage), gasoline, and diesel fuel are both hydrocarbon chains. Naptha has relatively short chains, probably 6 to 7 carbons long. Gasoline is a little longer, in the 8 carbon region. Diesel fuel, yet again longer. I don't know the average carbon length for Diesel, but I'd guess around 10. The longer the chain, the higher the boiling temp, the higher the flash point, the harder it is to ignite, and the higher the viscosity.
Naptha, as a term used in the US (common usage) typically means the same thing as what was most commonly used as lighter fluid in hand held lighters. In some Euporean countries, it's means an easily flammable, volitile petroleum product, of which, gasoline is one.
2006-11-13 02:05:07 · answer #1 · answered by Radagast97 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Mr. Radagast has explained most of the things nicely. I only wish to mention that the term naphtha is loosely applied to materials with boiling ranges between gasoline and kerosene. There are a number of other speciality naphthas. When crude light oil is refined, we get high boiling solvent naphthas which in turn can be refined into indene, pseudo cumene, mesitylene, styrene, etc. Basically, a reader should be aware that we use the term naphtha both for a lighter fraction as well as for some high boilers.
2006-11-13 11:04:07 · answer #2 · answered by Hobby 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Both come out of the same petroleum refinery as by-products of distillation at the higher levels in the hierarchy and yes naphtha comes at higher levels in the distillation process than diesel
2006-11-13 08:39:33 · answer #3 · answered by Siva 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I agree with you using USA English, that naptha is a higher distillation fraction than diesel. We have race cars that use naptha. And of course there are cars and trucks and trains and boats that run on diesel. Diesel is very close to kerosene. I just looked up the term. Naptha was a name for flamable fuel taken from the ground in Persia. Now technically gasoline and nerosene are considered napthas. .
2006-11-13 08:47:27 · answer #4 · answered by science teacher 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you hold a match to them, they both go bang? Sorry, don't no the answer.
2006-11-13 08:39:24 · answer #5 · answered by gr_bateman 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋