Hydrocarbon mixtures are a group of various volatile, highly flammable, mixtures used chiefly as nonpolar solvents.
Hydrocarbon mixtures are composed of petroleum ethers and other hydrocarbons.[1] Petroleum ether should not be confused with the class of organic compounds called ethers; and equally, going under its alternative name of benzine, it should not be confused with benzene. (Benzine is a mixture of alkanes, such as pentane, hexane, and heptane; whereas benzene is a cyclic, aromatic hydrocarbon.)
A hydrocarbon is any chemical compound that consists only of the elements carbon (C) and hydrogen (H). They all contain a carbon frame, and have hydrogen atoms attached to the frame. Often the term is used as a shortened form of the term aliphatic hydrocarbon. Most hydrocarbons are combustible.[2]
Petroleum ether is obtained from petroleum refineries as the portion of the distillate which is intermediate between the lighter naphtha and the heavier kerosene. It has a specific gravity of between 0.6 and 0.8 depending on its composition.[3]