pentane

[ pen-teyn ]

/ ˈpɛn teɪn /

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noun Chemistry, Pharmacology.

a hydrocarbon of the methane series, existing in three liquid isomeric forms.

Also called normal pentane. the most important isomer of pentane, a colorless, flammable, water-insoluble, very volatile liquid, C5H12, obtained from petroleum by distillation: used chiefly as a solvent and in medicine as an anesthetic.

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Origin of pentane

1875–80; pent- + -ane

Words nearby pentane

pentamerous, pentameter, pentamethylene, pentamethylenediamine, pentamidine, pentane, pentangle, pentangular, pentanoic acid, pentaploid, pentapody

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for pentane

pentane

/ (ˈpɛnteɪn) /

noun

an alkane hydrocarbon having three isomers, esp the isomer with a straight chain of carbon atoms (n -pentane) which is a colourless flammable liquid used as a solvent. Formula: C 5 H 12

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

Scientific definitions for pentane

pentane

[ pĕn′tān′ ]

A colorless, flammable hydrocarbon derived from petroleum and used as a solvent. Pentane occurs in three isomers and is the fifth member of the alkane series. Chemical formula: C5H12.