isocyanic acid

American

[ahy-soh-sahy-an-ik, ahy-soh-] / ˈaɪ soʊ saɪˈæn ɪk, ˌaɪ soʊ- /

noun

Chemistry.

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

isocyanic acid British

/ ˌaɪsəʊsaɪˈænɪk /

noun

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

"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 isocyanic acid

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

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

isocyanic acid

He found the highest concentration of isocyanic acid ever measured in the atmosphere.

From Scientific American ● Sep. 12, 2022

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

From Scientific American ● Sep. 12, 2022

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.

From Scientific American ● Sep. 12, 2022

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