phenanthrenequinone

[ fuh-nan-threen-kwuh-nohn, -kwin-ohn ]

noun

, Chemistry.

1. a yellowish-orange, crystalline, water-insoluble solid, C 1 4 H 8 O 2 , used chiefly in organic synthesis and the manufacture of dyes.

Word History and Origins

Origin of phenanthrenequinone¹

First recorded in 1880–85; phenanthrene + quin(ine) + -one