pyrrolidine

[ pi-roh-li-deen, -din, -rol-i- ]

noun

, Chemistry.

1. a colorless, water-soluble, unpleasant smelling, poisonous liquid, C 4 H 9 N, from which proline and certain alkaloids are derived, prepared by reducing pyrrole: used chiefly in organic synthesis.

pyrrolidine

/ pɪˈrɒlɪˌdiːn /

noun

1. an almost colourless liquid occurring in tobacco leaves and made commercially by hydrogenating pyrrole. It is a strongly alkaline heterocyclic base with molecules that contain a ring of four carbon atoms and one nitrogen atom. Formula: C 4 H 9 N

Word History and Origins

Origin of pyrrolidine¹

First recorded in 1880–85; pyrrole + -id ³ + -ine ²