itaconic acid

American

[it-uh-kon-ik] / ˌɪt əˈkɒn ɪk /

noun

Chemistry.

a colorless crystalline compound, C 5 H 6 O 4 , obtained by fermentation, soluble in water, alcohol, and acetone: used as an intermediate in the formation of fibers, resins, etc.

itaconic acid British

/ ˌɪtəˈkɒnɪk /

noun

a white colourless crystalline carboxylic acid obtained by the fermentation of carbohydrates and used in the manufacture of synthetic resins. Formula: CH 2 :C(COOH)CH 2 COOH

"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 itaconic acid

1860–65; rearrangement of the letters of aconitic acid, originally extracted from aconite

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A higher temperature decomposes this body into carbon dioxide and itaconic acid, C5H6C4, which, again, by the expulsion of a molecule of water, yields citraconic anhydride, C5H4O3.

From Project Gutenberg

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