Tar can be produced from corn stalks by heating in a microwave. This process is known as pyrolysis.

Tar is a viscous black liquid derived from the destructive distillation of organic matter. Most tar is produced from coal as a byproduct of coke production, but it can also be produced from petroleum, peat or wood. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 324 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (911 × 1684 pixel, file size: 141 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 324 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (911 × 1684 pixel, file size: 141 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Simple sketch of pyrolysis chemistry Pyrolysis usually means the chemical decomposition of organic materials by heating in the absence of oxygen or any other reagents, except possibly steam. ... Viscosity is a measure of the resistance of a fluid to deform under shear stress. ... A liquid will usually assume the shape of its container A liquid is one of the main states of matter. ... Destructive Distillation means driving off (and collecting) gas from some matter by heating it in the absence of air, where pyrolysis occurs during heating. ... Coal Coal (IPA: ) is a fossil fuel formed in swamp ecosystems where plant remains were saved by water and mud from oxidization and biodegradation. ... Coke Coke is a solid carbonaceous material derived from destructive distillation of low-ash, low-sulfur bituminous coal. ... Pumpjack pumping an oil well near Lubbock, Texas Ignacy Łukasiewicz - inventor of the refining of kerosene from crude oil. ... Peat in Lewis, Scotland Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter. ... Trunks A tree trunk as found at the Veluwe, The Netherlands Wood is a solid material derived from woody plants, notably trees but also shrubs. ...

Types of tar

General

The word "tar" is used to describe several distinct substances. Naturally occurring "tar pits" (e.g. the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles) actually contain asphalt, not tar, and are more accurately known as asphalt pits. Tar sand deposits contain bitumen rather than tar, as does the Tar Tunnel in Shropshire. "Rangoon tar", also known as "Burmese Oil" or "Burmese Naphtha", is actually petroleum. "Tar" and "pitch (resin)"
are sometimes used interchangeably; however, pitch is
considered more solid while tar is more liquid. A tar pit, or more properly asphalt pit, is a geological occurrence where subterranean bitumen leaks to the surface, creating a large puddle, pit, or lake of asphalt. ... La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles Countys Miracle Mile District. ... Nickname: Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: , State California County Los Angeles County Incorporated April 4, 1850 Government  - Type Mayor-Council  - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa  - City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo  - Governing body City Council Area  - City  498. ... Base layer of asphalt concrete in a road under construction. ... Athabasca Oil Sands Tar sands, also referred to as oil sands or bituminous sands, are a combination of clay, sand, water, and bitumen. ... Ewer from Iran, dated 1180-1210CE. Composed of brass worked in repoussé and inlaid with silver and bitumen. ... The Tar Tunnel is located on the bank of the River Severn in Coalbrookdale near the village of Coalport and now forms part of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust. ... Shropshire (alternatively Salop or abbreviated Shrops) is a county in the West Midlands of England. ... Pumpjack pumping an oil well near Lubbock, Texas Ignacy Łukasiewicz - inventor of the refining of kerosene from crude oil. ... The pitch drop experiment. ...

Coal tar

In English and French, "tar" is a substance primarily derived from coal. It was formerly one of the products of a gasworks. Tar made from coal or petroleum, is considered toxic and carcinogenic because of its high benzene contents, however coal tar in low concentrations is used as a topical medicine. Coal and petroleum tar has pungent odor. Gasification is a process that converts carbonaceous materials, such as coal or biomass, into carbon monoxide and hydrogen. ... Toxic redirects here, but this is also the name of a song by Britney Spears; see Toxic (song) Look up toxic and toxicity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In pathology, a carcinogen is any substance or agent that promotes cancer. ... Benzene, also known as benzol, is an organic chemical compound with the formula C6H6. ... Coal tar is the liquid by-product of the distillation of coal to make coke. ... In medicine, a topical medication is applied to body surfaces such as the skin or mucous membranes such as the vagina, nasopharynx, or the eye. ...

Wood tar

In Northern Europe, the word "tar" refers primarily to a substance derived from wood, which is used even as an additive in the flavoring of candy and other foods^{[citation needed]}. Wood tar is microbicidial and has a pleasant odor. Northern Europe is marked in dark blue Northern Europe is a name of the northern part of the European continent. ... Simple sketch of pyrolysis chemistry Pyrolysis usually means the chemical decomposition of organic materials by heating in the absence of oxygen or any other reagents, except possibly steam. ... A microbicide is any compound or substance whose purpose is to reduce the infectivity of microbes, viruses or bacteria. ...

Production of wood tar

The heating (dry distilling) of pine wood causes tar and pitch to drip away from the wood and leave behind charcoal. Birchbark is used to make particularly fine tar (tökötti). Dry distillation is the heating of solid materials to produce liquid or gaseous products (which may condense into solids). ... Subgenera Subgenus Strobus Subgenus Ducampopinus Subgenus Pinus See Pinus classification for complete taxonomy to species level. ... Pine tar is produced by a process called destructive distillation of the wood from a pine tree. ...

The by-products of wood tar are turpentine and charcoal. When deciduous tree woods are subjected to destructive distillation the by-products are methanol (wood alcohol) and charcoal. For the band, see Turpentine (band). ... Charcoal is the blackish residue consisting of impure carbon obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. ... Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol, carbinol, wood alcohol, wood naptha or wood spirits, is a chemical compound with chemical formula CH3OH. It is the simplest alcohol, and is a light, volatile, colourless, flammable, poisonous liquid with a distinctive odor that is somewhat milder and sweeter than ethanol (ethyl alcohol). ... Charcoal is the blackish residue consisting of impure carbon obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. ...

Uses

Tar is used in treatment of the skin-disease psoriasis, where coal tar is the most effective. Tar is also a general disinfectant. Petroleum tar was also used in ancient Egyptian mummification circa 1000 BC.^[1] Khafres Pyramid (4th dynasty) and Great Sphinx of Giza (c. ... A mummy is a corpse whose skin and dried flesh have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to chemicals, extreme cold, very low humidity, or airlessness. ... (Redirected from 1000 BC) Centuries: 12th century BC - 11th century BC - 10th century BC Decades: 1050s BC 1040s BC 1030s BC 1020s BC 1010s BC - 1000s BC - 990s BC 980s BC 970s BC 960s BC 950s BC Events and Trends 1006 BC - David becomes king of the ancient Israelites (traditional...

Tar was a vital component of the first sealed, or "tarmac", roads. It was also used as seal for roofing shingles and to seal the hulls of ships and boats. For millenia wood tar was used to waterproof sails and boats, but today sails made from inherently waterproof synthetic substances have negated the need for tar. Wood tar is still used to seal traditional wooden boats and the roofs of historical shingle-roofed churches, as well painting exterior walls of log buildings. A close-up view of some freshly-laid tarmac. ... Look up shingle in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Italian Full rigged ship Amerigo Vespucci in New York Harbor, 1976 A ship is a large watercraft capable of deep water navigation. ... A boat is a watercraft designed to float on, and provide transport over, water. ... A gaff-rigged cutter flying a mainsail, staysail and genoa jib For other uses, see Sail (disambiguation). ...

In Finland wood tar was once considered a panacea reputed to heal "even those cut in twain through their midriff". A Finnish proverb states that if sauna, vodka and tar won't help, the disease is fatal. The use of wood tar in traditional Finnish medicine is because of its microbicidial properties. In Greek mythology, Panaceia, or Πανάκεια (Latin Panacea), was the goddess of healing. ... A Finnish wood-heated sauna A sauna (IPA pronunciation: or , Finnish ) (also sweathouse, sudatory, steambath) is a small room or house designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these and auxiliary facilities. ... Vodka bottling machine, Shatskaya Vodka Shatsk, Russia Vodka is one of the worlds most consumed distilled beverages. ...

Wood tar is also available diluted as tar water, which has numerous uses:

• Flavoring for candies (e.g. Terva Leijona) and alcohol (Terva Viina)
• As a spice for food, like meat
• Scent for saunas. Tar water is mixed on water that is turned to steam to the air
• Anti-dandruff agent in shampoo
• As a component of cosmetics

Mixing tar with linseed oil varnish produces tar paint. It has a translucent brownish hue, and can be used as saturating and toning the wood and protecting it from weather. The tar paint can also be toned with various pigments, producing translucent colours and preserving the wood texture. Because of its paint-like properties, wet tar should not be touched with bare skin, as it can dry to produce a permanent stain. A Finnish wood-heated sauna A sauna (IPA pronunciation: or , Finnish ) (also sweathouse, sudatory, steambath) is a small room or house designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these and auxiliary facilities. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Varnish is a transparent, hard, protective finish or film primarily used in wood finishing but also for other materials. ...

See also

• Bitumen
• Coal tar
• Pine tar
• Pitch (resin)
• Pitch drop experiment
• Tarring and feathering

Ewer from Iran, dated 1180-1210CE. Composed of brass worked in repoussé and inlaid with silver and bitumen. ... Coal tar is the liquid by-product of the distillation of coal to make coke. ... Pine tar is produced by a process called destructive distillation of the wood from a pine tree. ... The pitch drop experiment. ... The pitch drop experiment at the University of Queensland. ... Tarring and feathering is a physical punishment, at least as old as the Crusades, used to enforce formal justice in feudal Europe and informal justice in Europe and its colonies in the early modern period, as well as the early American frontier, mostly as a type of mob vengeance (compare...

Sources

• ^  Geotimes - February 2005 - Mummy tar in ancient Egypt. Retrieved on January 9, 2006.
• [2] - details history and uses of "Rangoon Tar".