Mineral Oil (Light) also known as liquid paraffin, is a white, odorless oil derived from petroleum. Used as a lubricant and release agent.
Mineral oil is any of various colorless, odorless, light mixtures of higher alkanes from a mineral source, particularly a distillate of petroleum, as distinct from usually edible vegetable oils.
The name ‘mineral oil’ by itself is imprecise, having been used for many specific oils over the past few centuries. Other names, similarly imprecise, include ‘white oil’, ‘paraffin oil’, ‘liquid paraffin’ (a highly refined medical grade), paraffinum liquidum (Latin), and ‘liquid petroleum’.
Most often, mineral oil is a liquid obtained from refining crude oil to make gasoline and other petroleum products. Mineral oils used for lubrication are known specifically as base oils. More generally, mineral oil is a transparent, colorless oil, composed mainly of alkanes and cycloalkanes, related to petroleum jelly. It has a density of around 0.8–0.87 g/cm3 (0.029–0.031 lb/cu in).
It is known as a lubricant laxative.
- It works by keeping water in the stool and intestines.
- This helps to soften the stool and also makes it easier for stool to pass through the intestines.
- This medication should not be used by older adults, children younger than 6 years, or by people who are bedridden.
- It is commonly used to create a wear effect on new clay poker chips, which can otherwise be accomplished only through prolonged use.
Mineral Oil (Light)