adamantane

[ ad-uh-man-teyn ]

noun

, Chemistry.

1. a white crystalline alicyclic hydrocarbon, C 10 H 16 , consisting of four fused cyclohexane rings, with the carbon atoms arranged as in the diamond lattice.

Word History and Origins

Origin of adamantane¹

< French; adamant, -ane; so called from the diamondlike arrangement of the carbon atoms

Example Sentences

These observations would have predicted a high likelihood that adamantane resistance would spread widely in populations where adamantanes were used, but such spread did not occur for decades, for reasons that remain unclear.

From Science Magazine

One of the compounds based on the adamantane molecule showed promise, not only for animals but also for humans.

From Time Magazine Archive

One notable case is the company's new anti-virus drug, Symmetrel, which derives from a compound of organic chemicals that has a uniquely diamond-shaped molecular structure and is called adamantane.

From Time Magazine Archive

In 1959 two Du Pont chemists rejiggered the molecular structure of adamantane a bit and developed a new compound, known as EXP-105-1.

From Time Magazine Archive