Illuminating gas was a synthetic mixture of hydrogen and hydrocarbon gases produced by destructive distillation (pyrolysis) of bituminous coal or peat. It was used for gas lighting, as it produces a much brighter light than natural gas or water gas. Although also sometimes called coal gas, it should not be confused with water gas or syngas, which are made from anthracite coal or coke plus water, and chemically quite different. Illuminating gas was much less toxic than these other forms of coal gas, but less could be produced from a given quantity of coal. General Name, Symbol, Number Hydrogen, H, 1 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 1 (IA), 1, s Density, Hardness 0. ... In chemistry, a hydrocarbon is a group of chemical compounds consisting only of carbon (C) and hydrogen (H). ... Pyrolysis is the chemical decomposition of organic materials by heating in the absence of oxygen and water. ... Bituminous coal Bituminous coal is a soft coal containing a tar-like substance called bitumen. ... Peat in Lewis, Scotland Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetable matter. ... Gas lighting is the process of burning piped natural gas or coal gas for illumination. ... Natural gas rig Natural gas (commonly refered to as gas in many countries) is a gaseous fossil fuel consisting primarily of methane. ... Syngas (from synthesis gas) is the name given to gasses of varying composition that are generated in coal gasification and some types of waste-to-energy facilities. ... Syngas (from synthesis gas) is the name given to gasses of varying composition that are generated in coal gasification and some types of waste-to-energy facilities. ... Anthracite coal Anthracite is a hard, compact variety of mineral coal that has a high luster. ... The word coke has several possible meanings: In industrial chemistry, coke refers to a type of refined coal. ... Water (from the Anglo-Saxon and Low German wæter) is a colourless, tasteless, and odourless substance that is essential to all known forms of life and is the most universal solvent. ...

Illuminating gas consists mainly of methane, ethylene and hydrogen. The experiments with distilling coal were described by John Clayton in 1684. George Dixon's pilot plant exploded in 1760, setting back the production of illuminating gas a few years. The first commericial application was in a Manchester cotton mill in 1806. In 1901, studies of the defoliant effect of leaking gas pipes lead to the discovery that ethylene is a plant hormone. The simplest hydrocarbon, methane, is a gas with a chemical formula of CH4. ... Ethylene or ethene is the simplest alkene hydrocarbon, consisting of two carbon atoms and four hydrogens. ... General Name, Symbol, Number Hydrogen, H, 1 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 1 (IA), 1, s Density, Hardness 0. ... Events France under Louis XIV makes Truce of Ratisbon separately with the Empire and Spain. ... 1760 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Location within the British Isles. ... Cotton is a soft fibre that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant, a shrub native to the tropical and subtropical regions of both the Old World and the New World. ... The term mill, when used by itself, can refer to: Mill (factory) - a place of business for making articles of manufacture, e. ... 1806 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1901 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... A defoliant is a name for any chemical sprayed or dusted on plants to destroy, partly or totally, specific forms of vegetation or all forms of vegetation. ... Plant hormones (or plant growth regulators, or PGRs) are internally secreted chemicals in plants that are used for regulating their growth. ...

See also

• town gas
• gasometer
• gas machine