nitromethane

[nahy-truh-meth-eyn]

noun

Chemistry.

1. a colorless, oily, slightly water-soluble, poisonous liquid, CH 3 NO 2 , used chiefly as a solvent, rocket fuel, and gasoline additive and in organic synthesis.

nitromethane

/ ˌnaɪtrəʊˈmiːθeɪn /

noun

1. an oily colourless liquid obtained from methane and used as a solvent and rocket fuel and in the manufacture of synthetic resins. Formula: CH 3 NO 2

Word History and Origins

Origin of nitromethane¹

First recorded in 1870–75; nitro- + methane

Example Sentences

The first step in the evolution of today’s drag racing engine was recognizing nitromethane’s potential as a fuel.

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Gasoline has higher specific energy than nitromethane, but because so much more nitromethane can be burned, it can produce more than twice as much power as gasoline when combined with the same amount of oxygen.

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Nitromethane fuel is pouring into the eight cylinders at a rate of up to 115 gallons a minute.

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A commercial solvent used to clean the plates of printing presses, nitromethane contains oxygen, so it can burn with less atmospheric oxygen than gasoline.

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In fact, an engine can burn approximately eight times more nitromethane than gasoline in one stroke of a cylinder.

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