Turpentine (nonfiction)

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Turpentine workers. Postcard (1912).

Turpentine (also called spirit of turpentine, oil of turpentine, wood turpentine and colloquially turps) is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin obtained from live trees, mainly pines.

It is mainly used as a solvent (nonfiction) and as a source of materials for organic synthesis.

Turpentine is composed of terpenes, mainly the monoterpenes alpha-pinene and beta-pinene with lesser amounts of carene, camphene, dipentene, and terpinolene.

The word turpentine derives (via French and Latin) from the Greek word τερεβινθίνη terebinthine, the name of a species of tree, the terebinth tree.

Mineral turpentine or other petroleum distillates are used to replace turpentine, but they are very different chemically.

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