What is Oil: Definition and 575 Discussions

An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is a viscous liquid at ambient temperatures and is both hydrophobic (does not mix with water, literally "water fearing") and lipophilic (mixes with other oils, literally "fat loving"). Oils have a high carbon and hydrogen content and are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated lipids that are liquid at room temperature.
The general definition of oil includes classes of chemical compounds that may be otherwise unrelated in structure, properties, and uses. Oils may be animal, vegetable, or petrochemical in origin, and may be volatile or non-volatile. They are used for food (e.g., olive oil), fuel (e.g., heating oil), medical purposes (e.g., mineral oil), lubrication (e.g. motor oil), and the manufacture of many types of paints, plastics, and other materials. Specially prepared oils are used in some religious ceremonies and rituals as purifying agents.

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  1. B

    Ideal Gasses, Double-Layered floating objects, and immersion in oil

    3: I'm absolutely confused on this number 3. I've attempted this question but there must be something I'm missing out which makes a difference. An explanation would be nice. In order to find the displacement in part a wouldn't you need to know the pressure at 270 degrees? I used the ideal gas...
  2. N

    Viscosity of oil at various temperatures

    I'm trying to work out the viscosity of oil at various temperatures. I've got all my results, but when I try to work out the viscosity I get some really far out answers. What region would you expect the viscosity of oil room temperature to be? I get this result for viscosity of oil: -1330245.26...
  3. M

    News U.S. Outsourcing and Oil Dealings Begin to Hit Home

    Without going into an elaborate discussion to support my contention, portions of which are widely available throughout this Forum, it seems pretty clear from morning news reports and surveys that the U.S.'s policies of outsourcing mfr jobs, reliance on Arab oil, and priorities in protecting the...
  4. F

    Contest question The sinking oil barge. Help

    Contest question! The sinking oil barge. Help! OK. Here it goes! A tugboat is towing an oil barge in the sea. You may consider the barge to be a large steel container, with an empty weight of 3000 tons, completely filled with 50000 tons of oil. The density of steel is six times that of sea...
  5. W

    Energy Alternatives to Oil: Perspectives for the Future

    I've been given the task to explore the alternatives that could replace oil in a distant future for energy purposes. I'm clueless as it is so I came here to ask what are the possible perspectives so i can have a clue.
  6. Mk

    Who was the inventor of Banana Oil?

    Who was the inventor, discoverer, or isolator of Banana oil aka pentylacetate / pentylethanoate / amylacetate?
  7. Ivan Seeking

    News What happens when we don't need oil?

    With this https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=108344 and other promising technologies coming along, I am greatly encouraged that a true solution [set of solutions] to the energy problem is near. How will world politics be changed as the world's oil economy is displaced by a wind...
  8. J

    Find Equilibrium Readings of Scale: Beaker & Oil + Iron Block

    A 1-kg beaker containing 2 kg of oil(density = 916 kg/m^3) rests on a scale. A 2kg block of iron is suspended from a spring scale and completely submerged in the oil. Find the equilibruim readings of both scales. For the bottom scale, I can find the weight, 29.4 N of the beaker and oil, but...
  9. M

    Singing about Oil: Finding the Right Words

    oil song? I am in virtual school and i have to create a song about oil. I don't know where to start. So if anyone could help, it would be great! Activity - Create a short song about the geology of oil. (You may use the tune of a song you know and change the lyrics.) Audience - Middle...
  10. R

    What color will the oil appear and calculate the wavelenght

    An oil slick 122 nm thick (n = 1.4), lying on water, is illuminated by white ligiht incident, perpendicular to its surface. What color will the oil appear and calculate the wavelenght.
  11. V

    What is the Chemistry of Vanilla Oil?

    I'm going to do a project on "The chemistry of vanilla oil". But I'm really confused about the content of vanilla oil. Could anyone tell me something about that? And are there any good experiements could be done to investigate vanilla oil?
  12. A

    Can You Sing About How Oil is Formed and Extracted?

    While searching the web determine the following: How oil is created and trapped deep under the earth How we uncover that oil and bring it to the surface In your research find and define the words in the chart below. Aim at an understanding of how you would used these terms as they are...
  13. J

    How does air blowing over a u-tube affect the heights of water and oil columns?

    I really need help on this problem. I've been stuck forever A U-TUBE AT BOTH ENDS IS PARTIALLY FILLED WITH WATER. OIL (DENSITY = 750KG/M2) IS THEN POURED INTO THE RIGHT ARM AND FORMS A COLUMN L=5.00 CM HIGH. DETERMINE THE DIFFERENCE h IN THE HEIGHTS OF THE TWO LIQIUD SURFACES. THE RIGHT ARM...
  14. Astronuc

    Oil and gas exploration - the cost

    http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0507/feature5/index.html Demand for natural gas and the resulting land-use pressures are pitting America's Old West against the New. http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0507/sights_n_sounds/index.html...
  15. V

    Will Peak Oil Occur This Thanksgiving?

    http://www.physorg.com/news8441.html" Sorry folks, but if his right, it means it’s all down hill from here.
  16. M

    News Venezuela's Chavez One-Ups White House and U.S. Oil in Heating Oil Deal for Poor

    Amid months of criticism over failed U.S. oil policy, and after suffering embarrasing setbacks in the Senate (Democrats use of rule to demand continued pre-war intelligence committee review) and in the House (Democrat Cong. Murtha's Iraq war exit proposal), the White House and big U.S. oil were...
  17. B

    News Do gas prices really reflect the profits of oil companies?

    http://money.cnn.com/2005/10/27/news/fortune500/exxon.reut/ So, oil companies make record profits, and gas prices hit record highs. Coincidence? And for reference, how many people have seen prices go down more then 20 cents in the past month?
  18. R

    How Is Oil Used as an Energy Source and What Determines Its Efficiency?

    If anyone out there is able to give a brief overview of how oil is used as an energy source, I would really appreciate it! Nothing too fancy, I just need to know the basics of how it works and how to find its efficiency. Thanks so much.
  19. D

    News Government milking us like cows; Oil

    Why are we introducing hybrid cars? So some of them reduce emissions by 50%, 75%... but by the time everyone has one, the number of drivers on the road is going to have doubled, tripled, possible quadrupled, and the same amount of emissions will still be being put out because of this! Let's stop...
  20. Curious3141

    News Solving the Iraq Oil Paranoia: UN Inspectors & Transparency

    Specifically pertaining to the oil resources in the country. How about the US allowing a special UN appointed team of international oil/energy experts into Iraq (under full American military protection to ensure their peace of mind) ? The inspectors would take full stock of existing oil...
  21. G

    News Massive oil reserves found in the US

    Of course it is not a new discovery, the western Indian kept warm by burning rocks long before the white man set foot in the Americas. In parts of Colorado there may be as much as a billion barrels of oil per square mile; the state has the largest fossil fuel deposits in the entire world and...
  22. Math Is Hard

    Exploring the Health Benefits of Cottonseed Oil

    I love to eat those smoked oysters in cottonseed oil and it looks like the oil is reasonably healthy. I've read that it's one of the most unsaturated oils, comparable to safflower oil and corn oil. But then I read on another website that it might be very unhealthy because of all the pesticides...
  23. M

    News What'll You Have: Sex or Oil?

    As America (and much of the world) remains in awe over the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and the tough questions about the adequacy of the Bush administration’s federal response, the extraordinary and never before seen price spikes in oil and gasoline, and questions arising over...
  24. S

    Milliken Oil Drop Experiment. .

    Can some one help me with this Milliken oil drop problem. Data from a Milliken oil drop experiment are given below. Calculate the value of the charge on an electron from this data: Voltage needed to suspend drop (V) Drop diameter (microns) 103------ 1.1 44.7----- 1.2 127------ 1.6...
  25. S

    Milliken Oil Drop Problem anyone? .

    Can some one help me with this Milliken oil drop problem. Data from a Milliken oil drop experiment are given below. Calculate the value of the charge on an electron from this data: Voltage needed to suspend drop (V) Drop diameter (microns) 103------ 1.1 44.7----- 1.2 127------ 1.6...
  26. P

    BIMF Oil Refining: Is It Ready for Commercial Exploitation?

    Someone was asking me about a new Russian oil refining process from the Boreskov institute, known as the BIMF oil refiniing method, that is supposed to significantly reduce the cost of refining oil into gasoline when applied to new plants. I really don't have much clue about chemical...
  27. F

    News Revolving door of Iraq war reasoning-This time it's OIL

    Revolving door of Iraq war reasoning---This time it's OIL Here we go. The kooks and nuts of America who thought this war was about oil from the beginning---I say this because many Bush apologists have minimized those who espoused this reasoning as the real reason as said crazies---have been...
  28. Q_Goest

    Selecting an Oil for High Pressure Hydrogen Compressor

    I'm in the process of designing a high pressure hydrogen compressor. In this machine, an oil will be in direct contact with the hydrogen. To minimize the amount of oil vapor that enters the hydrogen and must be separated, an oil with high molecular weight and low vapor pressure should be best...
  29. R

    News Venezuela to Provide Discounted Heating Oil and Free Eye Operations to U.S. Poor

    http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=1736
  30. N

    Aunt's Oil Stock Investment: Before and After New Orleans Incident

    Hey, my aunt brought stocks in oil before the New Orleans incident How much will the New Orleans incident raise those stocks, if any? Thanks She didn't invest in NEW ORLEANS oil, just other oil I'm not sure where else I could find this info.. thanks I think she invested around...
  31. honestrosewater

    Playing with oil, water, and glass

    Just for fun, I used to play around with liquids, and I noticed something odd. In an uncovered tall glass container, ~20 fl.oz., I made an emulsion of water and olive oil by mixing and blowing bubbles with a straw. (Go ahead, laugh.) I let this sit undisturbed on a window sill for a while and...
  32. EnumaElish

    Oil crisis: deja vu by any other name?

    If this issue is covered under an existing thread please so direct me kindly. Otherwise, I'd like to hear about people's thinking on whether the current upward trend in oil prices will start acting as a brake on the economy, and even throw us back to the oil crisis days of the '70s. To have...
  33. S

    Oil between the piston and the casing manage to move with the piston?

    How does the oil between the piston and the casing manage to move with the piston? Is their no leak of the oil? And does the piston ring actually rub against the walls of the casing? Doesn't it generate too much friction? Does anyone know a good site where they show how the dimensions of...
  34. Pengwuino

    Airline industry and the future of oil

    One thing that I've absolutely never seen brought up is how aircraft will be effected by depleating oil supplies. We figured out that we can go to hydrogen powered cars when we figure out all the kinks in the system and setup a mass distribution system... but what about aircraft? I just can't...
  35. S

    Synthesizing Petroleum Oil from Plants: A Feasibility Study

    An idea I had some weeks ago is genetically engineered plants that synthesize petroleum oil from hydrogen and carbon. If the need for such a thing was upon us in the next few years, how hard would it be to create oil-gourds, bamboo, algae etc.? Also to what level could huge fields of such plants...
  36. EnumaElish

    Discuss, prove or disprove: winners & losers in oil production

    https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=82210
  37. EnumaElish

    Discuss, prove or disprove: winners & losers in oil production

    Government holds an auction to sell the right for oil exploration (and exploitation, if any found) on a tract of land to the highest bidder. Rules are: no reserve price; highest price wins and is paid; there will be a sale even if a single bidder shows up and bids zero. All potential bidders...
  38. T

    News We can't sell Oil to the Chinese

    We can't sell Oil to the Chinese ... because it is a National Security comodity ... BUT ... CNET :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: So ... What's that again?
  39. Ivan Seeking

    'Plastic oil' could improve fuel economy in cars

    http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-06/acs-oc061305.php
  40. F

    News US wants to pump Iraqi oil to Haifa

    U.S. checking possibility of pumping oil from northern Iraq to Haifa, via Jordan By Amiram Cohen The United States has asked Israel to check the possibility of pumping oil from Iraq to the oil refineries in Haifa. The request came in a telegram last week from a senior Pentagon official...
  41. Pengwuino

    News The Dirty War for Oil: UN Oil-for-Food Scandal Implicates Putin Aides

    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7857167/ Top Kremlin operatives and a flamboyant Russian politician reaped millions of dollars in profits under the U.N. oil-for-food program by selling oil that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein allowed them to buy at a deep discount, a Senate investigation has...
  42. F

    News Saudi Oil Infrastructure Rigged For Catastrophic Self Destruction

    Embargoed Book Claims Saudi Oil Infrastructure Rigged For Catastrophic Self Destruction By Huffington Post 05/10/05 "HP" - - According to a new book exclusively obtained by the Huffington Post, Saudi Arabia has crafted a plan to protect itself from a possible invasion or internal attack...
  43. A

    Total Work (Pumping Oil from a Tank).

    "A fuel tank is an upright cylinder, buried so that its circular top is 10 feet beneath ground level. The tank has a radius of 5 feet and is 15 feet high, although the current oil level is only 6 feet deep. Calculate the work required to pump all of the oil to the surface. Oil weighs 50...
  44. S

    What Oil to Use for a Nikota Air Compressor?

    I just have purchased an air compressor Nikota 2 hp., 4 gallon twin tank, 115 psi, and i was wondering what kind of oil i am supposed to put in the pump also i don't have any directions any suggestions? thanks
  45. K

    Which will dissolve in water Castor Oil or Potassium Iodide?

    Which will dissolve in water Castor Oil or Potassium Iodide? thanks i need help on this question
  46. Loren Booda

    News Big oil: greed, graft, waste, war, smog and sickness

    World governments need to take an objective stance about the evils of oil and make definite actions toward eradicating our dependence on it. Here in the U.S. only an anemic attempt towards conservation and clean fuels has been realized. Our president religiously supports the petroleum...
  47. J

    Fluid Mechanics of water and oil

    Here's the question: Water and then oil are poured into a U-shaped tube, open at both ends, and do not mix. They come to equilibrium as shown in the figure below, where y oil = 26.9 cm and y water=18.6 cm. What is the density of the oil? (Take the density of water as 1000 kg/m3.) I know that...
  48. F

    News As if invading & taking over Iraq wasn't about oil

    :rolleyes: BAGHDAD COUP D'ETAT FOR BIG OIL Monday, March 28, 2005 Harper's Magazine investigation reveals how Big Oil vanquished the neo-cons ... and OPEC is the winner. "For months, the State Department officially denied the existence of this 323-page plan for Iraq's oil ..." Some...
  49. U

    Mix Oil & Water: Australian Scientist Revolutionizes Chemistry & Cooking

    This is what I found on a link in {}. If this is already posted feel free to delete. I'm still learning... {Thursday, 3 March 2005 Oil and Water It’s a basic fact of science: oil and water don’t mix. Well an Australian scientist refused to accept this standard of chemistry and...
  50. A

    Meeting of the Families at Genco Olive Oil Co.

    In good faith, I've asked the heads of all the families to come here. We have the Moonbear family out of the Westside, the Tribdog Family from out west, the dextercioby family from across the sea, the PolyB family, the mattmns family from the Eastside, and all the other heads of all the other...
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