Paraffin

a tasteless, odorless, fatty substance proof against the action of acids and alkalies. It is a residuum obtained by heating wood, peat, soft coal, or wax, in a retort. Large quantities are left behind in the refining of crude petroleum. Paraffin is used for a variety of purposes. Laundrymen use it to give a polish to fine linen. Cartridges are coated with it to prevent their sticking in the gun barrel. Paper and cloth are treated with paraffin to render them waterproof. It makes excellent candles, equal to the best wax. Housewives pour a film of melted paraffin over their preserves and canned fruit to protect them from germs in the air. Scientists desiring a thin shaving of a substance to place under the microscope imbed the tissue in paraffin to hold it firm for the knife. Paraffin is used in the manufacture of chewing gum. Brewers coat the inside of beer barrels with paraffin. It is used in the insulating covering of electric wires. Great Britain supplies the greater part of the paraffin of commerce. Much paraffin is obtained from the soft coal near Bonn, Germany. The paraffin made in the United States comes chiefly from Bradford, Pennsylvania.