acrolein

American  

[uh-kroh-lee-in] / əˈkroʊ li ɪn /

noun

Chemistry.

1. a yellow, flammable liquid, C 3 H 4 O, having a stifling odor, usually obtained by the decomposition of glycerol: used chiefly in the synthesis of commercial and pharmaceutical products.

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acrolein British  

/ əˈkrəʊlɪɪn /

noun

1. a colourless or yellowish flammable poisonous pungent liquid used in the manufacture of resins and pharmaceuticals. Formula: CH 2 :CHCHO

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Etymology

Origin of acrolein

1855–60; < Latin ācr- (stem of ācer ) sharp + olē ( re ) to smell + -in ²

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

acrolein

OEHHA’s assessment provides the first cancer risk value for acrolein since it was classified as probably cancer-causing to humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer in 2020.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2026

Short-term exposure to acrolein by inhalation can cause nose and throat irritation and a decreased breathing rate.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2026

Whelton’s team and other researchers at Purdue analysed the samples and found several chemicals that could have been released following the accident, including acrolein.

From Scientific American ● Mar. 24, 2023

But acrolein levels were high enough in some places to raise long-term health concerns, said Albert Presto, a Carnegie Mellon mechanical engineering research professor.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 11, 2023

Of or containing acryl, the hypothetical radical of which acrolein is the hydride; as, acrylic acid.

From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary by Noah Webster

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