toluene

[ tol-yoo-een ]

/ ˈtɒl yuˌin /

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noun Chemistry.

a colorless, water-insoluble, flammable liquid, C7H8, having a benzenelike odor, obtained chiefly from coal tar and petroleum: used as a solvent in the manufacture of benzoic acid, benzaldehyde, TNT, and other organic compounds.

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Also called methylbenzene, phenylmethane.

Origin of toluene

First recorded in 1870–75; tolu + -ene

Words nearby toluene

Tolstoy, Leo, Toltec, tolu, toluate, Toluca, toluene, toluic, toluic acid, toluidine, toluol, toluyl

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use toluene in a sentence

The chemicals in these items that are most harmful to human health—which are also the ones the plant was engineered to neutralize—are formaldehyde, benzene, toluene, and xylene.
This Engineered ‘Superplant’ Cleans Indoor Air Like 30 Regular Plants|Vanessa Bates Ramirez|November 2, 2022|Singularity Hub
All polishes are vegan and cruelty-free and formulated without Toluene, Formaldehyde, and DBP.
Saweetie Collaborates With SinfulColors To Create An Alien Collection For Halloween|Blake Newby|October 25, 2021|Essence.com
A solution of hydrogen chloride in a poorly ionizing medium, like benzene or toluene, is an extremely poor conductor.
The Elements of Qualitative Chemical Analysis, vol. 1, parts 1 and 2.|Julius Stieglitz
Other dyes derived directly or indirectly from phenol will take us back once again to toluene.
Coal|Raphael Meldola

From benzene and toluene alone about forty distinct colouring-matters of the rosaniline group are sent into commerce.
Coal|Raphael Meldola
Already we see that benzene, toluene, solvent naphtha, and burning naphtha are separated from them.
Coal|Raphael Meldola
Now let us consider some of the transformations which benzene and toluene undergo in the hands of the manufacturing chemist.
Coal|Raphael Meldola

British Dictionary definitions for toluene

toluene

/ (ˈtɒljʊˌiːn) /

noun

a colourless volatile flammable liquid with an odour resembling that of benzene, obtained from petroleum and coal tar and used as a solvent and in the manufacture of many organic chemicals. Formula: C 6 H 5 CH 3

Word Origin for toluene

C19: from tolu + -ene, since it was previously obtained from tolu

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

Scientific definitions for toluene

toluene

[ tŏl′yōō-ēn′ ]

A clear, toxic, flammable liquid that is used in fuels, explosives, dyes, medicines, and many industrial chemicals. Toluene consists of a methyl group attached to benzene. Also called methylbenzene. Chemical formula: C7H8.