coal tar
a thick, black, viscid liquid formed during the distillation of coal, that upon further distillation yields compounds, as benzene, anthracene, and phenol, from which are derived a large number of dyes, drugs, and other synthetic compounds, and that yields a final residuum (coal-tar pitch ), which is used chiefly in making pavements.
Origin of coal tar
1Other words from coal tar
- coal-tar, adjective
Words Nearby coal tar
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use coal tar in a sentence
The first food dyes were created from coal tar in the late 1800s.
The Dead Serious Reason You Might Want to Avoid Food Dyes | Lorne J. Hofseth, The Conversation | December 10, 2021 | The Daily BeastMost of the cheaper dyes made from coal tar are fugitive; that is, they fade in sunlight or water or in both.
Philippine Mats | Hugo H. MillerBuri straw intended for mats is usually colored with the cheap imported coal tar dyes previously noted.
Philippine Mats | Hugo H. MillerAnthracene is one of the last products passing over in the dry distillation of coal-tar.
Or perhaps you put in some imitations of them, made from coal tar chemicals, and drink them at your soda fountains!
The Book of Life: Vol. I Mind and Body; Vol. II Love and Society | Upton Sinclair
Aniline, an′il-in, n. a product of coal-tar extensively used in dyeing and other industrial arts.
British Dictionary definitions for coal tar
a black tar, produced by the distillation of bituminous coal, that can be further distilled to yield benzene, toluene, xylene, anthracene, phenol, etc
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for coal tar
A thick, sticky, black liquid obtained through the destructive distillation (heating in the absence of air) of coal. It is used as a source of many organic compounds, such as benzene, naphthalene, and phenols, which are used in dyes, drugs, and other compounds.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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