toluene

American  

[tol-yoo-een] / ˈtɒl juˌin /

noun

Chemistry.

1. a colorless, water-insoluble, flammable liquid, C 7 H 8 , 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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toluene British  

/ ˈtɒljʊˌiːn /

noun

1. 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

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toluene Scientific  

/ tŏl′yo̅o̅-ēn′ /

1. 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: C ₇ H ₈ .

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Etymology

Origin of toluene

First recorded in 1870–75; tolu + -ene

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

toluene

This includes extremely challenging aromatic molecules with very high oxidation potentials such as naphthalene, toluene, or benzene.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 9, 2024

In waxes that are not so pure, semi-volatile and volatile organic compounds like toluene, contained within the wax, can be released with burning.

From National Geographic ● Sep. 27, 2023

Wells emit a volatile miasma of cancer-causing hydrocarbons such as benzene and toluene, and their wastewater can contaminate underground water tables relied on by neighbors for household supplies.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 15, 2022

Carcinogenic chemicals like benzene and toluene as well as other hydrocarbons have been detected within a half a kilometer of the facility.

From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2021

And in the same way the cresol first breaks down to toluene in the presence of the carbon, and this in turn is broken down by the heat to benzene.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 794, March 21, 1891 by Various