isoprene

American  

[ahy-suh-preen] / ˈaɪ səˌprin /

noun

Chemistry.

1. a colorless, volatile, water-insoluble liquid, C 5 H 8 , 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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isoprene British  

/ ˈaɪsəʊˌpriːn /

noun

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

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isoprene Scientific  

/ ī′sə-prēn′ /

1. 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: C ₅ H ₈ .

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Etymology

Origin of isoprene

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

Example Sentences

Plants worldwide are estimated to release 500 to 600 million tons of isoprene into the surrounding atmosphere each year, accounting for about half the total emissions of gaseous organic compounds from plants.

From Science Daily • Dec. 4, 2024

They pull the isoprene up like a vacuum cleaner and transport it to an altitude of between 8 and 15 kilometers.

From Science Daily • Dec. 4, 2024

The primary and most abundant molecule is isoprene.

From Science Daily • Dec. 4, 2024

The 9000-year-old minerotrophic Siikaneva peatland emits large levels of terpenes dominated e.g., by isoprene and alpha-pinene.

From Science Daily • Apr. 4, 2024

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

From Creative Chemistry Descriptive of Recent Achievements in the Chemical Industries by Slosson, Edwin E.