isocyanic acid

[ahy-soh-sahy-an-ik, ahy-soh-]

noun

Chemistry.

1. an unstable acid, CHNO, tautomeric with cyanic acid, known only in the form of its salts.

isocyanic acid

/ ˌaɪsəʊsaɪˈænɪk /

noun

1. a hypothetical acid known only in the form of its compounds. Formula: HNCO

Word History and Origins

Origin of isocyanic acid¹

First recorded in 1890–95; iso- + cyanic acid

Example Sentences

In 2009, while burning ponderosa pine branches and other fuel characteristic of the Western U.S., he found a particularly noxious compound called isocyanic acid.

Read more on Scientific American

Ligterink says his team filled a vacuum chamber with a gas mixture of isocyanic acid and methane and chilled it to 15 kelvin, freezing the gases onto a gold surface.

Read more on Science Magazine

Researchers have discovered a new way to detect isocyanic acid, a chemical found in forest, cooking and cigarette smoke.

Read more on Scientific American

"If these indoor fires release similar levels of isocyanic acid as the fires we studied in the laboratories, families could be exposed to high levels of the chemical."

Read more on Scientific American

“The biomass-burning community was completely unaware isocyanic acid was in smoke. What else didn’t we know?”

Read more on Scientific American