Turpentine facts for kids

Turpentine, also known as "turps," is a special liquid. It's used to dissolve things and make other chemicals. Think of it like a powerful cleaner or a building block for new stuff.

Turpentine is a liquid made by heating and collecting the sap, called resin, from live trees. Most of this resin comes from pine trees. It's a mix of many different hydrocarbon chemicals. As a solvent, turpentine helps thin oil-based paints. It's also used to make varnishes and as a basic material for the chemical industry.

The word turpentine comes from an old Greek word, terebinthine. This was the name of a specific tree, the terebinth tree.

Turpentine can be dangerous. Breathing it in can be harmful, and it can easily catch fire. Because of these dangers, other liquids like white spirit (also called mineral turps) are often used instead. Even though they are used for similar jobs, white spirit and turpentine are very different chemicals.

Images for kids

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  The "Herty system" collecting sap from turpentine trees in Florida around 1936.

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  A place where turpentine was made in Manlyn, North Carolina.

See also

In Spanish: Aguarrás para niños