naphthalene
/ˈnæfθəliːn/ noun
Forms naphthalenes
- noun A white crystalline hydrocarbon manufactured from coal tar; used in mothballs.
- noun (organic chemistry) An aromatic bicyclic hydrocarbon, C₁₀H₈; an acene containing two fused benzene rings.
Etymology
From naphth(a) + -al + -ene.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A white crystalline aromatic hydrocarbon, C10H8, analogous to benzene, and obtained by the distillation of certain bituminous materials, such as the heavy oil of coal tar. It is the type and basis of a large number of derivatives among organic compounds.
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “naphthalene”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details