tolan

[ toh-lan ]

/ ˈtoʊ læn /

noun Chemistry.

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

Nearby words

tokus, tokushima, tokyo, tokyo bay, tola, tolan, toland, tolar, tolbooth, tolbukhin, tolbutamide

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for tolan

"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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
"But I do believe the 10th anniversary is the balsa-wood anniversary," retorts Tolan.
Denis Leary to the Rescue|Joel Keller|April 7, 2009|DAILY BEAST
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)

/ (ˈtəʊlæn) /

noun

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

Word Origin for tolan

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