synthesis gas

American  

noun

Chemistry.

1. any of several gaseous mixtures consisting essentially of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, used in the synthesis of chemical compounds, as ammonia and alcohols.

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synthesis gas British  

noun

1. a mixture of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen formerly made by using water gas and reacting it with steam to enrich the proportion of hydrogen for use in the synthesis of ammonia

2. a similar mixture of gases made by steam reforming natural gas, used for synthesizing organic chemicals and as a fuel

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Etymology

Origin of synthesis gas

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

In 2020, for example, Yuvuz and his colleagues reported in Science that a nickel and molybdenum-based catalyst is able to convert CO2 and methane to CO and hydrogen gas, an industrially valuable combination known as synthesis gas.

From Science Magazine

The mix of CO and H2, known as synthesis gas, then moves to a third reactor, which assembles them into more complex hydrocarbons.

From Science Magazine

Catalysts, along with heat and pressure, could then transform synthesis gas into gasoline and other liquid hydrocarbons.

From Science Magazine

The U.S. sanctions imposed in November banned purchases of Iranian petrochemical products which include “any aromatic, olefin, and synthesis gas, and any of their derivatives, including ethylene, propylene, butadiene, benzene, toluene, xylene, ammonia, methanol, and urea”.

From Reuters

Adding in more hydrogen to the carbon monoxide turns it into what's called synthesis gas.

From BBC