nitrobenzene

[nahy-troh-ben-zeen, -ben-zeen]

noun

Chemistry.

1. a pale yellow, toxic, water-soluble liquid, C 6 H 5 NO 2 , produced by nitrating benzene with nitric acid: used chiefly in the manufacture of aniline.

nitrobenzene

/ ˌnaɪtrəʊˈbɛnziːn /

noun

1. a yellow oily toxic water-insoluble liquid compound, used as a solvent and in the manufacture of aniline. Formula: C 6 H 5 NO 2

Word History and Origins

Origin of nitrobenzene¹

First recorded in 1865–70; nitro- + benzene

Example Sentences

The Jiangsu environmental protection bureau said late on Friday that a team of 126 inspectors found various degrees of contamination in local water samples, with nitrobenzene concentrations exceeding standards at one location.

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It is a colorless, oily liquid, originally obtained from indigo by distillation, but now largely manufactured from coal tar or nitrobenzene as a base from which many brilliant dyes are made.

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One of the simplest and longest-known members of this group is nitrobenzene, C6H5NO2, which is employed to some extent as an explosive, being one ingredient in rack-a-rock and other blasting compositions.

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It is prepared from nitrobenzene by reducing it with stannous chloride and sodium hydroxide.

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Higher nitrates are also obtainable up to the limit of the trinitrate, which is insoluble in ether or alcohol, but is soluble in nitroglycerin, nitrobenzene and other solvents.

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