phosgene

[fos-jeen, foz-]

noun Chemistry.

a poisonous, colorless, very volatile liquid or suffocating gas, COCl2, a chemical-warfare compound: used chiefly in organic synthesis.

Origin of phosgene

1805–15; < Greek phôs light (contraction of pháos) + -genēs -gen

Also called carbon oxychloride, carbonyl chloride, chloroformyl chloride.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for phosgene

Historical Examples of phosgene

Phosgene was one of the deadliest gases employed in the war.
America's Munitions 1917-1918
Benedict Crowell
The phosgene, kept liquid by refrigeration, was run into the shell by an automatic filler.
America's Munitions 1917-1918
Benedict Crowell
England received 900 tons of our chlorpicrin and 368 tons of American phosgene.
America's Munitions 1917-1918
Benedict Crowell
Phosgene is a gas that may be condensed easily to a liquid by cooling it down to 46 degrees Fahrenheit.
Creative Chemistry
Edwin E. Slosson
This photo shows the Livens drums being filled with phosgene.
America's Munitions 1917-1918
Benedict Crowell

British Dictionary definitions for phosgene

phosgene

noun

a colourless easily liquefied poisonous gas, carbonyl chloride, with an odour resembling that of new-mown hay: used in chemical warfare as a lethal choking agent and in the manufacture of pesticides, dyes, and polyurethane resins. Formula: COCl 2

Word Origin for phosgene

C19: from Greek phōs light + -gene, variant of -gen

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

Medicine definitions for phosgene

phosgene

[fŏs′jēn′, fŏz′-]

n.

A colorless volatile liquid or gas used as a poison gas and in making dyes.

Science definitions for phosgene

phosgene

[fŏs′jēn′]

A colorless, volatile gas that has the odor of freshly mowed hay. When it reacts with water (as in the lungs during respiration), phosgene produces hydrochloric acid and carbon monoxide. It is used in making glass, dyes, resins, and plastics, and was used as a poisonous gas during World War I. Also called carbonyl chloride. Chemical formula: COCl2.