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.

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

From Time Magazine Archive

Chemistry's most spectacular contribution to World War I, apparently not yet used in World War II�chlorine, phosgene, diphosgene, chlorpicrin, diphenylchlorarsine, mustard�were all discovered in peace time by non-military scientists.

From Time Magazine Archive

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 Lefebure, Victor

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 Lefebure, Victor

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