calcium cyanamide

American  

noun

1. a gray-black, often lumpy powder, CaCN 2 , unstable in water, obtained by heating calcium carbide and nitrogen; cyanamide: used chiefly as a fertilizer, herbicide, and intermediate in the synthesis of nitrogen compounds.

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calcium cyanamide British  

noun

1. a white crystalline compound formed by heating calcium carbide with nitrogen. It is important in the fixation of nitrogen and can be hydrolysed to ammonia or used as a fertilizer. Formula: CaCN 2

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Etymology

Origin of calcium cyanamide

First recorded in 1905–10