Drying agent

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There are two types of Drying agent:

• As water is the most common liquid on this planet, a drying agent is commonly a desiccant. As desiccation indicates an extreme dryness, the term drying agent is sometimes used for mild agents, such as silica gel, as opposed to strong desiccants, such as concentrated sulfuric acid.

• Drying oils completely dry up organic liquids through autoxidation, forming a hard film. There are also semi-drying oils, which only partially harden on exposure to atmospheric oxygen. Oils which do not exhibit this behavior are known as non-drying oils. Drying oils are commonly found in paints and other finishes, and are used in seasoning cast iron cookware.