isoprene

[ ahy-suh-preen ]

/ ˈaɪ səˌprin /

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noun Chemistry.

a colorless, volatile, water-insoluble liquid, C5H8, of the terpene class, usually obtained from rubber or from oil of turpentine by pyrolysis: used chiefly in the manufacture of synthetic rubber by polymerization.

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Origin of isoprene

1855–60; iso- + -pr- (< ?) + -ene; see terpene

Words nearby isoprene

isoplastic graft, isopleth, isopod, isopolity, isopor, isoprene, isoprenoid, isopropanol, isopropyl, isopropyl alcohol, isopropylbenzene

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use isoprene in a sentence

You will see that the isoprene consists of a chain of four carbon atoms (represented by the C's) with an extra carbon on the side.
Creative Chemistry|Edwin E. Slosson
What reagent could be found that would reverse the reaction and convert the liquid isoprene into the solid rubber?
Creative Chemistry|Edwin E. Slosson
From fusel oil by the use of chlorine isoprene can be prepared, so the chain was complete.
Creative Chemistry|Edwin E. Slosson
We can get isoprene by the distillation of turpentine—but why not bleed a rubber tree as well as a pine tree?
Creative Chemistry|Edwin E. Slosson

Petroleum when cracked up to make gasoline gives isoprene or other double-bond compounds that go over into some form of rubber.
Creative Chemistry|Edwin E. Slosson

British Dictionary definitions for isoprene

isoprene

/ (ˈaɪsəʊˌpriːn) /

noun

a colourless volatile liquid with a penetrating odour: used in making synthetic rubbers. Formula: CH 2 :CHC(CH 3):CH 2Systematic name: methylbuta-1,3-diene

Word Origin for isoprene

C20: from iso- + pr (opyl) + -ene

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

Scientific definitions for isoprene

isoprene

[ ī′sə-prēn′ ]

A colorless, volatile liquid obtained from petroleum or coal tar and occurring naturally in many plants. It is used chiefly to make synthetic rubber. The isoprene in plants occurs in the chloroplasts and is used to build terpenes and other biologically important chemicals. Chemical formula: C5H8.