Oil

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An oil is a substance that is in a viscous liquid state ("oily") at ambient temperatures or slightly warmer, and is both hydrophobic (immiscible with water) and lipophilic (miscible with other oils, literally). This general definition includes compound classes with otherwise unrelated chemical structures, properties, and uses, including vegetable oils, petrochemical oils, and volatile essential oils. Oil is a nonpolar substance.

The term oil is often used colloquially to refer to petroleum.

For more information about Oil, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.


News tagged with oil

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Nanoparticle protects oil in foods from oxidation, spoilage

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

created 15 hours ago | popularity 2 / 5 (2) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Using a nanoparticle from corn, a Purdue University scientist has found a way to lengthen the shelf life of many food products and sustain their health benefits.


Study confirms untold levels of oil sands pollution on the Athabasca

Space & Earth / Environment

created Dec 07, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 2

After an exhaustive study of air and water pollution along the Athabasca River and its tributaries from Fort McMurray to Lake Athabasca, researchers say pollution levels have increased as a direct result of nearby oil sands ...


Safe journey for works of art

Safe journey for works of art

Technology / Engineering

created Dec 04, 2009 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Valuable paintings travel long distances when they are shipped from one place to another. To minimize damage, they are packed in special picture cases. In future, these will be equipped with sensors to detect ...


CSIRO researchers create giant waves

CSIRO researchers create giant waves -- virtually

Technology / Computer Sciences

created Dec 03, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- CSIRO scientists have created 'rogue waves' more than 20 metres high and smashed them into virtual oil and gas production platforms to compare different mooring designs.


Why fish oils help and how they could help even more

Medicine & Health / Research

created Oct 28, 2009 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (27) | comments 9

New research from Queen Mary, University of London and Harvard Medical School has revealed precisely why taking fish oils can help with conditions like rheumatoid arthritis.


Tiny bubbles clean oil from water

Tiny bubbles clean oil from water

Chemistry / Materials Science

created Nov 16, 2009 | popularity 4 / 5 (3) | comments 0

Small amounts of oil leave a fluorescent sheen on polluted water. Oil sheen is hard to remove, even when the water is aerated with ozone or filtered through sand. Now, a University of Utah engineer has developed ...


Hydrogen milestone moves energy independence one step forward

Hydrogen milestone moves energy independence one step forward

Technology / Energy

created Nov 10, 2009 | popularity 3.7 / 5 (14) | comments 7

(PhysOrg.com) -- Big things often come in small packages. That's certainly the case with the potential created by recent successes in hydrogen research at Idaho National Laboratory.


Algae is gaining ground as a potential renewable energy source

Algae may be secret weapon in climate change war

Biology / Biotechnology

created Oct 22, 2009 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (8) | comments 4

Driven by fluctuations in oil prices, and seduced by the prospect of easing climate change, experts are ramping up efforts to squeeze fuel out of a promising new organism: pond scum.


Coal mining

President Obama Working to Reverse President Bush's Environmental Legacy

Space & Earth / Environment

created May 01, 2009 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (179) | comments 63

(PhysOrg.com) -- In the U.S., there is a tradition followed by outgoing presidents: Enact as many new policies as possible -- especially if you think that the incoming president would disapprove. This practice ...


Fish oil protects against diseases like Parkinson's, study

Medicine & Health / Health

created Apr 19, 2009 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (7) | comments 0

Dr. Nicolas Bazan, Director of the Neuroscience Center of Excellence, Boyd Professor, and Ernest C. and Yvette C. Villere Chair of Retinal Degenerative Diseases Research at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, will present ...


Lessons from oil industry may help address groundwater crisis

Lessons from oil industry may help address groundwater crisis

Space & Earth / Environment

created Oct 30, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0

Although declining streamflows and half-full reservoirs have gotten most of the attention in water conflicts around the United States, some of the worst battles of the next century may be over groundwater, ...


Solving the chalk mystery

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

created Apr 24, 2009 | popularity 3.9 / 5 (7) | comments 8

A piece of chalk in a laboratory at the University of Stavanger in Norway may be the key to unlock a great mystery. If the mystery is solved, it will generate billions in additional income for the oil industry. Associate ...


One Sponge-Like Material, Three Different Applications

Chemistry / Materials Science

created May 26, 2009 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (9) | comments 3

(PhysOrg.com) -- A new sponge-like material that is black, brittle and freeze-dried (just like the ice cream astronauts eat) can pull off some pretty impressive feats. Designed by Northwestern University chemists, it can ...


Scientists unveil chocolate-fueled race car (AP)

Scientists unveil chocolate-fueled race car

Technology / Energy

created May 05, 2009 | popularity 3.9 / 5 (9) | comments 3

(AP) -- Scientists unveiled on Tuesday what they hope will be one of the world's fastest biofuel vehicles, powered by waste from chocolate factories and made partly from plant fibers.


Biomass as a source of raw materials

Chemistry / Other

created May 12, 2009 | popularity 4 / 5 (4) | comments 4

For the protection of the environment, and because of the limited amount of fossil fuels available, renewable resources, such as specially cultivated plants, wood scraps, and other plant waste, are becoming the focus of considerable ...