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ketene

American

[kee-teen] / ˈki tin /

noun

Chemistry.

a colorless, poisonous gas, C 2 H 2 O, irritating to the lungs, prepared from acetone or acetic acid by pyrolysis: used chiefly in the manufacture of certain commercial chemicals, as acetic anhydride and aspirin.

ketene British

/ ˈkiːtiːn, ˈkɛt- /

noun

Also called: ethonone. a colourless irritating toxic gas used as an acetylating agent in organic synthesis. Formula: CH 2 :CO

"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 ketene

First recorded in 1905–10; ket- + -ene

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.

See Examples For:

ketene

They discovered that ketene is formed at lower temperature settings than previously believed — and that it accumulated at levels dangerous to individual health.

From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2022

Although ketene is known to be toxic, it is so dangerous that it is difficult to directly study its effect on the human body.

From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2022

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