Kerosene, or paraffin, is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in aviation as well as households. Its name derives from Greek: κηρός (kērós) meaning "wax", and was registered as a trademark by Nova Scotia geologist and inventor Abraham Gesner in 1854 before evolving into a generic trademark. It is sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage.
A kerosene bottle, containing blue-dyed kerosene
Persian scholar Rāzi (or Rhazes) was the first to distill kerosene in the ninth century. He is depicted here in a manuscript by Gerard of Cremona.
A queue for kerosene. Moscow, Russia, 1920s
A truck delivering kerosene in Japan
Petroleum or crude oil, also referred to as simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name petroleum covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crude oil and petroleum products that consist of refined crude oil.
A sample of petroleum
Pumpjack pumping an oil well near Lubbock, Texas, U.S.
An oil refinery in Ahmadi Governorate in Kuwait
A fractional distillation apparatus