coal gasn.
/ˈkəʊl ɡas/, U.S. /ˈkoʊl ˌɡæs/ A mixture of gases (chiefly hydrogen, methane, and carbon monoxide) obtained by the destructive distillation of coal and formerly used for lighting, heating, and cooking. Cf. gas n.1 4a, town gas n. at town n. Compounds 1b.Coal gas, which contains toxic carbon monoxide, was largely replaced by natural gas in household supplies in the 1940s–70s.
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the world > matter > chemistry > organic chemistry > organic gases > [noun] > other named
coal gas1806
oil-gas1820
natural gas1825
resin gas1828
powder gas1860
hydrocarbon gasc1865
air-gas1872
fluoroform1876
formene1884
biomethane1947
Sarin1951
1806 Retrospect Philos., Mech., Chem., & Agric. Discov. 1 129 Experiments were made with coal gas, and other gases, burned in close vessels with oxygen gas.
1809 Jrnl. Nat. Philos. Feb. 145 (title) On the Advantages of Coal Gas Lights.
1857 Harper's Weekly 28 Mar. 194 By means of the introduction of coal gas into cities, a light is supplied..combining in an eminent degree cleanliness, economy, safety, and brilliancy.
1876 R. Routledge Discov. & Inventions 19th Cent. 552 Hydrated oxide of iron is now much used for purifying coal-gas.
1963 Guardian 22 Jan. 8/5 Detoxification of ordinary coal gas is neither a practical nor an economic proposition.
1992 S. Holloway Courage High! xv. 125 Within minutes a gas holder containing nine million cubic feet of coal gas went up in flames and the sparks..set light to a tar manufacturer's yard.
2001 G. E. Guldin What's Peasant to Do? vii. 149 In relatively prosperous Xingchu Village outside Anhai Town in Fujian, residents have gone from grass to charcoal to coal gas in a decade.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2013; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1806