cyanogen

[sahy-an-uh-juhn, -jen]

noun

1. a colorless, poisonous, flammable, water-soluble gas, C 2 N 2 , having an almondlike odor: used chiefly in organic synthesis.

2. cyano group.

cyanogen

/ saɪˈænədʒɪn /

noun

1. an extremely poisonous colourless flammable gas with an almond-like odour: has been used in chemical warfare. Formula: (CN) 2

Word History and Origins

Origin of cyanogen¹

First recorded in 1820–30; cyano- ¹ + -gen

Word History and Origins

Origin of cyanogen¹

C19: from French cyanogène; see _cyano- , _-gen ; so named because it is one of the constituents of Prussian blue

Example Sentences

Kyiv, he claimed, was violating the international Chemical Weapons Convention with a variety of substances with the assistance of Western countries, including the psychochemical warfare agent BZ as well as hydrocyanic acid and cyanogen chloride.

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Separating light from 2I/Borisov into its component parts, his team found a signature of cyanogen, a molecule made of a carbon atom and a nitrogen atom bonded together.

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Spectra of the comet at first suggested it had an overall reddish hue and was emitting cyanogen gas, which is also found in Solar System comets.

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Using telescopes on the island of La Palma in Spain’s Canary Islands, a team of astronomers led by Alan Fitzsimmons of Queen’s University Belfast detected cyanogen in the gaseous cloud around the comet.

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Sadly, it’s not kryptonite, or even unobtanium, but cyanogen, a simple but toxic molecule made up of two carbon and two nitrogen atoms.

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