Oil specific weight. Weight of oil in 1 liter

One of the most useful minerals of modern times, “black gold”, “earth oil” or simply oil, plays one of the key roles on the global financial stage. The price of oil determines the welfare not only of individual people, but of entire states.

Oil was known to humanity several thousand years before the birth of Christ. It was used in the construction of the legendary city of Babylon. The ancient Egyptians used it to mummify their dead, and the ancient Greeks used oil to create incendiary mixtures in their numerous wars. In the Middle Ages, humanity began to use products of oil distillation in medicine and everyday life.

The word “petroleum” is formed from a phrase that literally translates as “stone oil”: petra means stone, oleum means oil. In German and many other languages of the world, the concept meaning “oil” is also literally translated as “mountain” or “stone” oil, including in Chinese. Incidentally, it was the inhabitants of China who drilled the first oil well in 347 AD.

Scientists claim that the Russian word “neft” came from an Assyrian word with deep Arabic roots, meaning “that which is expelled by the earth”. Other versions point to the ancient Iranian word naft, meaning “moist, liquid”.

Properties of oil

Oil is a liquid, oily substance of pure black color, and in some cases with a brown or even green tint. It has a density from 0.65 to 1.05 g/cm3. The specific weight indicator assigns the substance to one category or another, from light to heavy. Thus, a substance formed from organic sedimentary rocks with a density below 0.83 g/cm3 is light, and above 0.86 g/cm3 is heavy.

Oil density depends not only on temperature and pressure. Different composition and quantity of organic compounds determine different boiling and crystallization temperature limits. Characteristics such as the following are also considered:

• paraffin content,
• oil viscosity,
• content of resin-asphaltene substances,
• electrical conductivity,
• flash point and so on.

Interesting facts about oil

• Many people think that the organic substances from which oil formed are remains of prehistoric dinosaurs. This is not true. In fact, 90% of them are phytoplankton and another 10% are remains of other ancient marine coastal microorganisms.
• Oil does not occur in underground lakes or rivers, but saturates special porous reservoir rocks. These are what form oil fields.
• Oil saved whales from complete extermination. Before kerosene, the product of the first oil refining, began to be used for lighting, whale fat was used to make cosmetics, candles and even the first protective coating for photographs. Later, demand for sperm whale fat fell sharply and then disappeared entirely due to lack of economic benefit. Today the fat of these animals is used in a very narrow field of space research as a lubricant because it does not freeze even in the cold of space.
• Long ago, at the dawn of the oil refining industry, gasoline was free. Its main derivative was kerosene, and gasoline interested consumers only as a means for removing lice and stains from clothing. Because it was unnecessary, it was even poured into rivers.
• Oil is one of the components of products such as chewing gum, lipsticks, sports equipment, balls, rackets, skis, lawn coverings and so on, fishing lures and other fishing equipment.
• It is used in making dental prostheses and toothpaste, guitar strings, nylon, perfumes, antiperspirants and even contact lenses.