phosgene

American  

[fos-jeen, foz-] / ˈfɒs dʒin, ˈfɒz- /

noun

Chemistry.

1. a poisonous, colorless, very volatile liquid or suffocating gas, COCl 2 , a chemical-warfare compound: used chiefly in organic synthesis.

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phosgene British  

/ ˈfɒzdʒiːn /

noun

1. 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

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phosgene Scientific  

/ fŏs′jēn′ /

1. 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: COCl ₂ .

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Etymology

Origin of phosgene

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

Example Sentences

Emergency services reported that the levels of phosgene decreased until they "reached zero", county official Lena Maria Fritzberg told public broadcaster SVT.

From BBC • Feb. 28, 2024

The source materials for this need to be reactive, but that also usually makes them toxic, such as the commonly used phosgene.

From Science Daily • Jan. 10, 2024

Officials warned when they burned it that two concerning gases — hydrogen chloride and phosgene, which was used as a weapon in World War I — might be released in the process.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 31, 2023

When burned, vinyl chloride decomposes into gases that include hydrogen chloride and phosgene.

From New York Times • Feb. 28, 2023

For this reason John Davy, who discovered the compound over a hundred years ago, named it phosgene, that is, "produced by light."

From Creative Chemistry Descriptive of Recent Achievements in the Chemical Industries by Slosson, Edwin E.