I'm pretty sure it's naptha but would a can of coleman fuel that looks like this be pure naptha or some other shit like kerosene?
Naptha. aka mineral spirits aka petroleum ether (NOT diethyl ether) ala something else I can't remember right now.
pet. distillate. Coleman's may be "white gasoline", if not kerosene. go to Lowe's, Home Depot... find naptha in the paint/solvent section
Coleman fuel is "white gasoline", or gasoline without all the detergents and octane boosters found in regular automotive gas. Essentially the same thing as naphtha or "petroleum ether". It does contain a small amount of a greenish oil, presumably some kind of corrosion inhibitor. This makes the stuff unusable for extraction purposes unless you distill it first. And distilling highly flammable solvents like this requires the proper glassware and techniques, or you will blow yourself up in an instant...
.. if peroxides form. BHT is likely the additive, and it's not really much hassle in liquid/liquid extraction.
Can you get peroxides in hydrocarbon solvents? I know that Et2O and THF are nasty in that respect, but never thought that it was a concern with things like naphtha. The residue left over after distilling coleman fuel is a gooey green oil, FWIW.
things like naptha are more stable, because of hydrocarbons stabilizing ethers (hence, pet. ether); but I'd imagine "petroleum distillates" have some BHT to prevent oxidation, in case someone evaporates to dryness. those "pet. distillates" you find in hardware stores have a slew of hydrocarbons and ethers, makes me wish I had an Oldershaw column.
