Mineral spirits

Description

A hydrocarbon petroleum distillate collected in the boiling range of 150-200C. Mineral spirits, or paint thinner, is used as a substitute for turpentine because it is odor-free and leaves no sticky residues. It has also been used as a dry-cleaning fluid to remove oil and grease spots.

Synonyms and Related Terms

Varsol; Shellsol; VM&P naphtha; white spirits (Br.); Amsco; Varnolene; Texaco spirits; petroleum spirits; petroleum solvent; substitute turpentine; odorless paint thinner; odorless mineral spirits (OMS); Stoddard solvent; ligroin; petroleum paint thinner; mineral thinner; naphtha; benzine

Other Properties

Miscible with other hydrocarbon solvents. Insoluble in water.

CAS	8052-41-3
Density	0.79
Boiling Point	150-200

Hazards and Safety

Highly flammable (flash point 38C). Toxic by ingestion and inhalation.

Mallinckrodt Baker: MSDS

Authority

• R. J. Gettens, G.L. Stout, Painting Materials, A Short Encyclopaedia, Dover Publications, New York, 1966

• Reed Kay, The Painter's Guide To Studio Methods and Materials, Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1983

• Ralph Mayer, A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques, Harper and Row Publishers, New York, 1969 (also 1945 printing)

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

• Hermann Kuhn, Conservation and Restoration of Works of Art and Antiquities, Butterworths, London, 1986

• Tom Rowland, Noel Riley, A-Z Guide to Cleaning, Conserving and Repairing Antiques, Constable and Co., Ltd., London, 1981

• Michael McCann, Artist Beware, Watson-Guptill Publications, New York City, 1979

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