rotenone

American  

[roht-n-ohn] / ˈroʊt nˌoʊn /

noun

Chemistry, Pharmacology.

1. a white, crystalline, water-insoluble, poisonous heterocyclic compound, C 2 3 H 2 2 O 6 , obtained from derris root: used chiefly as the active ingredient of certain insecticides and in medicine in the treatment of chiggers and scabies.

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rotenone British  

/ ˈrəʊtɪˌnəʊn /

noun

1. a white odourless crystalline substance extracted from the roots of derris: a powerful insecticide. Formula: C 23 H 22 O 6 ; relative density: 1.27; melting pt: 163°C

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Etymology

Origin of rotenone

1920–25; roten- (said to be < Japanese ) + -one

Example Sentences

A substance lethal to fish but approved by federal environmental regulators called rotenone will be disseminated starting Aug. 26.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 18, 2023

Once the treatment is complete, another chemical will be released to dilute the rotenone, the park service said.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 18, 2023

By 1990, he had begun using radiolabeled rotenone, a fat-loving chemical that readily crosses biological membranes, including the blood-brain barrier, to map locations in the brain of complex I.

From Science Magazine • May 4, 2023

Explain the use of methylene blue as an antidote for rotenone poisoning.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

To that end, biologists dumped several drums of a poison called rotenone into fifteen miles of creek.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson