White spirit Applications
White Spirit is a petroleum distillate that is used as a paint thinner and mild solvent. In industry, mineral spirits are used for cleaning and degreasing machine tools and parts. According to Wesco, a supplier of solvents and cleaning equipment, mineral spirits "are especially effective in removing oils, greases, carbon, and other material from metal."[Mineral spirits may also be used in conjunction with cutting oil as a thread cutting and reaminglubricant.
Mineral spirits are an inexpensive petroleum-based replacement for the vegetable-based turpentine. It is commonly used as a paint thinner for oil-based paint and cleaning brushes, and as an organic solvent in other applications. Mineral turpentine is chemically very different from turpentine, which mainly consists of pinene, and it has inferior solvent properties.Artists use mineral spirits as an alternative to turpentine since it is less flammable and less toxic. Because of interactions with pigments, artists require a higher grade of mineral spirits than many industrial users, including the complete absence of residual sulfur.
Mineral spirits have a characteristic unpleasant kerosene-like odor. Chemical manufacturers have developed a low odor version of mineral turpentine which contains less of the highly volatile shorter hydrocarbons. Odorless mineral spirits are mineral spirits that have been further refined to remove the more toxic aromatic compounds, and are recommended for applications such as oil painting, where humans have close contact with the solvent.
In screen printing (also referred to as silk-screening), mineral spirits are often used to clean and unclog screens after printing with oil-based textile and plastisol inks. They are also used to thin inks used in making monoprints.
Mineral spirits are often used inside liquid-filled compasses and gauges.
Mineral spirits are also used for re-gripping golf clubs. After the old grip is removed, the mineral spirits are poured into the new grip and shaken. After, the mineral spirits are poured on the new underlying tape and the new grip is slid on. After an hour of drying out, the new grip and club are ready to use.
Although not normally marketed as a fuel, white spirit can be used as an alternative to kerosene in portable stoves, since it is merely a light grade of kerosene. It cannot be used as an alternative to white gas, which is a much more volatile gasoline-like fuel.
White spirits are also a major ingredient in some popular automotive fuel/oil additives, such as Marvel Mystery Oil, as they are capable of dissolving varnish and sludge buildup.
Mineral spirits are also commonly used for cutting fluid in ultraprecision lathes (commonly referred to as diamond turning machines).
Chemical numbers
CAS EINCES Name Name
8030-30-6 232-443-2 Naphtha 8052-41-3 232-489-3 Stoddard solvent
64475-85-0 265-185-4 white spirit type 1
64741-92-0 265-095-5 white spirit type 2 solvent-refined heavy naphtha (petroleum)
64742-48-9 265-150-3 white spirit type 3 hydrotreated heavy naphtha (petroleum)
64742-88-7 265-191-7 white spirit type 0 medium aliphatic solvent naphtha (petroleum)
Physical properties:
The physical properties of the three types of white spirit are:
T3: Property T1: Low flash T2: Regular High flash
175–2 Initial boiling point (IBP) (°F) 130–144 145–174 00
Final boiling point (°F) IBP+21, max. 220
Average relative molecular mass 140 150 160
Relative density (15 °C) 0.765 0.780 0.795
Flash point (°C) 21–30 31–54 > 55
Vapour pressure (kPa, 20 °C) 1.4 0.6 0.1
Volatility (n-butyl acetate=1) 0.47 0.15 0.04
Autoignition temperature (°C) 240 240 230
Explosion limits (Flammable Range) (% by volume in air) 0.6–6.5 0.6–6.5 0.6–8
Vapour density (air=1) 4.5–5 4.5–5 4.5–5
1.41–1 Refractive index (at 20 °C) 1.41–1.44 1.41–-1.44 .44
0.74–1 Viscosity (cps, 25 °C) 0.74–1.65 0.74–1.65 .65
Solubility (% by weight in water) < 0.1 < 0.1 < 0.1
Kauri-butanol value 29–33 29–33 29–33
Aniline point (°C) 60–75 60–75 60–75
Reactivity reaction with strong oxidizing agents
Odor threshold (mg/m3) — 0.5–5 4