Coal gas

Description

A natural gas used for illumination and heating in the 19th century. Coal gas is obtained from the distillation of bituminous coal. It primarily contains hydrogen, methane, and carbon monoxide.

See also water gas.

Synonyms and Related Terms

water gas; bench gas; coke-oven gas

Hazards and Safety

Flammable.

Authority

• Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993

• Dictionary of Building Preservation, Ward Bucher, ed., John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York City, 1996

• Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998