ethylene glycol

noun

, Chemistry.

1. glycol ( def 1 ).

ethylene glycol

noun

1. See ethanediol
   another name for ethanediol

ethylene glycol

/ glī′kôl′ /

1. A poisonous, syrupy, colorless alcohol used as an antifreeze in heating and cooling systems that use water. Ethylene glycol is chemically like ethanol but has two hydroxyl (OH) groups instead of one. Also called glycol. Chemical formula: C 2 H 6 O 2 .

Word History and Origins

Origin of ethylene glycol¹

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

It can hold two metric tons of plastic, or the equivalent of about 100,000 ground-up bottles at a time, and break it down into the building blocks of PET—ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid—in 10 to 16 hours.

From MIT Technology Review

Propylene glycol is preferred for this purpose because it is less toxic than the ethylene glycol that keeps your car radiator from freezing up.

From Popular-Science

“There are similarities between propylene glycol and ethylene glycol, the anti-freeze used in automobiles,” Dale said.

From The Daily Beast