diphosgene

American

[dahy-fos-jeen] / daɪˈfɒs dʒin /

noun

Chemistry.

a colorless liquid, C 2 Cl 4 O 2 , usually derived from methyl formate or methyl chloroformate by chlorination: a World War I poison gas now used chiefly in organic synthesis.

diphosgene British

/ daɪˈfɒzdʒiːn /

noun

an oily liquid with an extremely poisonous vapour, made by treating methanol with phosgene and chlorinating the product: has been used in chemical warfare. Formula: ClCOOCCl 3

"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

Etymology

Origin of diphosgene

First recorded in 1920–25; di- ¹ + phosgene

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

diphosgene

The poison gases: mustard, lewisite, ethyldichlorarsine, chlorpicrin, diphosgene, phosgene and chlorine.

From Time Magazine Archive

The familiar Green Cross represented the slightly persistent, volatile, lethal compounds, such as phosgene and diphosgene.

From The Riddle of the Rhine; chemical strategy in peace and war by Victor Lefebure

Ethyl-dichlor-arsine was produced in homogeneously lead-lined vessels, identical with those used for diphosgene.

From The Riddle of the Rhine; chemical strategy in peace and war by Victor Lefebure

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023