tetrachloroethylene

American  

[te-truh-klawr-oh-eth-uh-leen, -klohr-] / ˌtɛ trəˌklɔr oʊˈɛθ əˌlin, -ˌkloʊr- /

noun

Chemistry.

1. a colorless, nonflammable, nonexplosive liquid, C 2 Cl 4 , used as a solvent, especially in dry cleaning.

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tetrachloroethylene Scientific  

/ tĕt′rə-klôr′ō-ĕth′ə-lēn′ /

1. A colorless, nonflammable organic liquid used in dry-cleaning solutions, as an industrial solvent, and as an agent for expelling or destroying parasitic intestinal worms. Also called perchloroethylene. Chemical formula: C ₂ Cl ₄ .

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Etymology

Origin of tetrachloroethylene

1910–15; tetra- + chloro- ² ( def. ) + ethylene ( def. )

Example Sentences

Vapor from TCE and a related solvent — tetrachloroethylene, or PCE — have been detected above screening levels in 129 homes.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2023

One was mostly contaminated with perchloroethylene or tetrachloroethylene from an off-base dry cleaning company.

From Washington Times • Nov. 28, 2022

The compounds included the dry cleaning solvent tetrachloroethylene, or PCE, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says may harm the nervous system, reproductive system, liver and kidneys, and may possibly cause cancer.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2022

But some toxic chemical releases, including benzene, lead, 1,3-butadiene, tetrachloroethylene and sulfuric acid, rose above the 2004 levels in almost every year since then.

From Scientific American • Jun. 4, 2012

Shielded from all other radiation by the rock above, the detector consists of a 100,000-gal. vat of a cleaning fluid called tetrachloroethylene.

From Time Magazine Archive