vinyl alcohol

noun

Chemistry.

1. an unstable liquid compound, C 2 H 4 O, found only in the form of its esters or as the polymer polyvinyl alcohol.

Word History and Origins

Origin of vinyl alcohol¹

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

Previously discovered molecules in the Sagittarius B2 cloud include vinyl alcohol and ethyl formate, the chemical that gives raspberries their flavour and rum its smell.

From BBC