In the US
, and a number of other countries, "white gas" refers to
a liquid hydrocarbon
mixture similar to gasoline
(US) and petrol
(Australia), but which is less volatile
, consisting of mostly
s and heptane
s, whereas gasoline has a significant amount of pentane
s in it.
Also, gasoline sold for use in car
s is full of additives not found in white gas.
In some countries,
"white spirit" means the same thing, but in the UK
and also to some extent
in New Zealand
, that term is used for
a type of paint thinner
. Coleman fuel
is very similar to white gas, and
can usually be used where white gas is called for.
A typical use of white gas is in portable stoves for camping and backpacking. White
gas also makes a good fuel for fire spinning.