Petroleum jelly or petrolatum is a byproduct of the refining of petroleum, made from the residue of petroleum distillation left in the still after all the oil has been vaporized.
Vaseline is a well-known brand of petroleum jelly originally produced by Chesebrough Manufacturing which merged with Pond's Extract Company in 1955 to form Chesebrough-Ponds, Inc. Unilever purchased Chesebrough-Ponds in 1987. Vaseline has become an example of generic brand name (genericized trademark) meaning Petroleum Jelly.
History
Petroleum jelly was discovered by Robert Chesebrough in 1859 in Brooklyn, New York. Chesebrough was intrigued by the paraffin-like substance that stuck to the drilling rigs. The riggers hated the material because it caused the rigs to seize up, but they used it on cuts and burns because it hastened healing. Chesebrough bottled the petroleum jelly and took it back to his office where he tested it on himself.
He gave out free samples across New York and within six months he had twelve wagons distributing the product, under the trade name Vaseline, across the state. The term Vaseline was coined as a combination of the German word for water, Wasser (pronounced Vahser), and the Greek word for oil, elaion.
In 1872, Chesebrough patented (U.S. patent 127,568) the process of making petroleum jelly. The patent said that distillation by heat under vacuum involves less heat than without the vacuum, and yields a better quality of jelly. The product is then filtered through bone char.
Robert Chesebrough lived to the age of 96 and claimed to have eaten a spoonful of Vaseline everyday. He was such a believer in Vaseline that during a bout of pleurisy, he had his body completely covered with it from head to toe. He soon recovered.
Appearance
Vaseline is a semi-solid mixture of hydrocarbons, having a melting-point usually ranging from a little below to a few degrees above 100° F (37° C). It is colorless, or of a pale yellow color, translucent, fluorescent, amorphous and devoid of taste and smell. It does not oxidize on exposure to the air, and is not readily acted on by chemical reagents. It is soluble in chloroform, benzene, carbon disulphide and oil of turpentine. It also dissolves in warm ether and in hot alcohol, but separates from the latter in flakes on cooling.
Production process
The process employed by the Chesebrough Manufacturing Company in the manufacture of vaseline is said to consist essentially in the careful distillation of selected crude petroleum, vacuum-stills being used to minimize dissociation, and filtration of the residue through granular animal charcoal. The filters are either steamjacketed, or are placed in rooms heated to 120° F (50° C), or higher. The first runnings from the filters are colorless, and when they become colored to a certain extent they are collected for use as a lubricant under the name of filtered cylinder oil. (B. R.)
Uses
Uses mentioned in Chesebrough's patent include currying, stuffing, and oiling all kinds of leather. The finest grade of petroleum jelly is also adapted for use as a pomade for the hair. It is also used for treating chapped hands or lips, toenail fungus, and nosebleeds. It is not recommended for use as a safe sexual lubricant; being oil-based, Vaseline destroys the effectiveness of latex condoms.
Petroleum jelly may also be used as a lubricant when shaving with a razor (not with an electric razor).
Some pediatricians are recommending the use of Vaseline as a diaper rash preventative instead of baby powder, the traditional use of which is thought by some to increase the risk of asthma because of its ability to become airborne. The makers of Vaseline, however, state that they have not come across this recommendation, that the risk of excessive absorption of Vaseline is minimal and that sales of baby powder have remained steady.
Petroleum jelly is also smeared around the base of bulk vending machines to prevent ants from crawling up and contaminating the candy.
Petroleum Jelly can also be used as valve grease for some brass instruments and to lubricate the cork joints of larger woodwind instruments (Cork grease is reccomended on smaller instruments as this conditions and prevents drying of the cork).
References
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public ___domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
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