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cyclopropane

American  
[sahy-kluh-proh-peyn, sik-luh-] / ˌsaɪ kləˈproʊ peɪn, ˌsɪk lə- /

noun

Chemistry, Pharmacology.
  1. a colorless, flammable gas, C 3 H 6 , used in organic synthesis and in medicine as an anesthetic.


cyclopropane British  
/ ˌsɪk-, ˌsaɪkləʊˈprəʊpeɪn /

noun

  1. a colourless flammable gaseous hydrocarbon, used in medicine as an anaesthetic; trimethylene. It is a cycloalkane with molecules containing rings of three carbon atoms. Formula: C 3 H 6 ; boiling pt: –34°C

"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

cyclopropane Scientific  
/ sī′klə-prōpān′,sĭk′lə- /
  1. A highly flammable, explosive, colorless gas that was once in wide use as an anesthetic but has been mostly replaced by less flammable gases. The three carbon atoms of cyclopropane form a triangular ring. Chemical formula: C 3 H 6 .


Etymology

Origin of cyclopropane

First recorded in 1890–95; cyclo- + propane

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

If 1.56 g of cyclopropane occupies a volume of 1.00 L at 0.984 atm and 50 °C, what is the molecular formula for cyclopropane?

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

What fraction of the cyclopropane remains after 0.75 h at 499 °C?

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

Determine the number of moles of carbon and hydrogen in the 100-g sample of cyclopropane.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

Both ether and cyclopropane are inflammable, and the wound-cauterizing electric knife, a useful aid to modern surgery, can act like a flaming match when brought near lungs filled with inflammable gas.

From Time Magazine Archive

So Anesthesiologist Leroy Vandam chose old-fashioned cyclopropane, which acts fast, then switched to ether.

From Time Magazine Archive