furan

[ fyoor-an, fyoo-ran ]

noun
  1. a colorless, liquid, unsaturated, five-membered heterocyclic compound, C4H4O, obtained from furfural: used chiefly in organic synthesis.

Origin of furan

1
First recorded in 1890–95; aphetic form of furfuran

Words Nearby furan

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for furan

furan

/ (ˈfjʊəræn, fjʊəˈræn) /


noun
  1. a colourless flammable toxic liquid heterocyclic compound, used in the manufacture of cotton textiles and in the synthesis of nylon. Formula: C 4 H 4 O: Also called: furfuran

Origin of furan

1
C19: shortened form of furfuran, from furfur

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 furan

furan

[ fyurăn′, fyu-răn ]


  1. Any of a group of colorless, volatile, organic compounds containing a ring of four carbon atoms and one oxygen atom. Furans are obtained from wood oils and used in the synthesis of many organic compounds.

  2. The simplest such compound, consisting of a furan ring with two double bonds and attached to four hydrogen atoms. Chemical formula: C4H4O.

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