tolan

[toh-lan]

noun Chemistry.

a crystalline, water-insoluble, solid, unsaturated compound, C14H10, used chiefly in organic synthesis.

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Origin of tolan

variant of tolane. See toluene, -ane

Also called diphenylacetylene.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for tolan

Contemporary Examples

"Steve has a Broadway-caliber voice," says Tolan, who wrote musical theater in his distant past.
Denis Leary to the Rescue
Joel Keller
April 7, 2009
So when the pair decided to pitch Rescue Me, they did things a little differently, says Tolan.
Denis Leary to the Rescue
Joel Keller
April 7, 2009
"But I do believe the 10th anniversary is the balsa-wood anniversary," retorts Tolan.
Denis Leary to the Rescue
Joel Keller
April 7, 2009

Historical Examples

One daughter, Mrs. Tolan, met a tragic death at the hands of an insane husband, in 1881.
Fifty Years In The Northwest
William Henry Carman Folsom

British Dictionary definitions for tolan

tolan

tolane (ˈtəʊleɪn)

noun

a white crystalline derivative of acetylene; diphenylacetylene; diphenylethyne. Formula: C 6 H 5 C:CC 6 H 5

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Word Origin

C19: from tol (uene) + -an (see -ane)

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