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isoprene

[ ahy-suh-preen ]
/ ˈaɪ səˌprin /

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

isopleth, isopod, isopolity, isopor, isoprecipitin, isoprene, isoprenoid, isopropanol, isopropyl, isopropyl alcohol, isopropylbenzene
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for isoprene

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

Medical definitions for isoprene

isoprene
[ ī′sə-prēn′ ]

n.

A colorless volatile hydrocarbon that is the naturally occurring basis of isoprenoids and that is used in the production of synthetic rubber.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.