halocarbon

[ hal-uh-kahr-buhn ]

noun

, Chemistry.

1. any of a class of compounds containing carbon, one or more halogens, and sometimes hydrogen.

halocarbon

/ hăl′ə-kär′bən /

1. A compound, such as a fluorocarbon, that consists of carbon combined with one or more halogens. Halocarbons are typically nonflammable and nonreactive, though some halocarbons are broken down by ultraviolet radiation in the upper atmosphere, and this process releases free halogen atoms that damage the ozone layer. Some halocarbons have also been implicated as greenhouse gases.

Word History and Origins

Origin of halocarbon¹

First recorded in 1945–50; halo- + carbon