propylene

[ proh-puh-leen ]

/ ˈproʊ pəˌlin /

Chemistry

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adjective

containing the propylene group.

noun

Also propene. a colorless, flammable gas, C3H6, of the olefin series: used chiefly in organic synthesis.

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Origin of propylene

First recorded in 1840–50; propyl + -ene

Words nearby propylene

prop wash, propyl, propyla, propylaeum, propyl alcohol, propylene, propylene glycol, propylene group, propyl group, propylhexedrine, propylic

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

How to use propylene in a sentence

N95, KN95, and surgical masks are made of multi-layered propylene plastic, which is better than cotton and other woven fabrics at filtering out the small aerosolized particles that carry the coronavirus through the air.
Here’s what the CDC is now saying about masks and respirators|Purbita Saha|January 15, 2022|Popular-Science
One key ingredient of the stuff: Propylene glycol, a synthetic liquid that absorbs water.
Europeans Recall Fireball Whiskey Over a Sweetener Also Used in Antifreeze|Tim Mak|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Propylene glycol is used for a variety of industrial, cosmetic, and food production uses.
Europeans Recall Fireball Whiskey Over a Sweetener Also Used in Antifreeze|Tim Mak|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The European formula for Fireball has even less: under one gram per kilogram of propylene glycol.
Europeans Recall Fireball Whiskey Over a Sweetener Also Used in Antifreeze|Tim Mak|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Propylene glycol has been used as the base for fog machine liquids and in nebulizers for decades.
My (Electronic) Cigarette Addiction|Eli Lake|January 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The major point is that we have no studies that show the safety of propylene glycol when inhaled over the long term.
My (Electronic) Cigarette Addiction|Eli Lake|January 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Tests have shown that, insofar as ease of detonation is concerned, 1,2-butylene oxide is similar to propylene 30 oxide.
U.S. Patent 4,293,314: Gelled Fuel-Air Explosive|Bertram O. Stull
Insofar as ease of detonation is concerned, 1,2-butylene oxide has about 65 the same explosive limits as propylene oxide.
U.S. Patent 4,293,314: Gelled Fuel-Air Explosive|Bertram O. Stull
One drawback, common to both ethylene oxide and propylene oxide, is toxicity.
U.S. Patent 4,293,314: Gelled Fuel-Air Explosive|Bertram O. Stull
Propylene oxide is less toxic than ethylene oxide but is still highly toxic.
U.S. Patent 4,293,314: Gelled Fuel-Air Explosive|Bertram O. Stull

British Dictionary definitions for propylene

propylene

/ (ˈprəʊpɪˌliːn) /

noun

another name for propene

Word Origin for propylene

C19: from propyl + -ene

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 propylene

propylene

[ prō′pə-lēn′ ]

A flammable gas produced by cracking (breaking down) petroleum and used to make plastics and isopropyl alcohol. Propylene is the second member of the alkene series. Also called propene. Chemical formula: C3H6.