isoprene

[ ahy-suh-preen ]

noun

, Chemistry.

1. a colorless, volatile, water-insoluble liquid, C 5 H 8 , of the terpene class, usually obtained from rubber or from oil of turpentine by pyrolysis: used chiefly in the manufacture of synthetic rubber by polymerization.

isoprene

/ ˈaɪsəʊˌpriːn /

noun

1. a colourless volatile liquid with a penetrating odour: used in making synthetic rubbers. Formula: CH 2 :CHC(CH 3 ):CH 2 Systematic namemethylbuta-1,3-diene

isoprene

/ ī′sə-prēn′ /

1. A colorless, volatile liquid obtained from petroleum or coal tar and occurring naturally in many plants. It is used chiefly to make synthetic rubber. The isoprene in plants occurs in the chloroplasts and is used to build terpenes and other biologically important chemicals. Chemical formula: C 5 H 8 .

Word History and Origins

Origin of isoprene¹

1855–60; iso- + -pr- (< ?) + -ene; terpene

Word History and Origins

Origin of isoprene¹

C20: from iso- + pr ( opyl ) + -ene

Example Sentences

In the third study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, a team led by Ph.D. candidate Hui Wang, who works in the Department of Earth System Science with Prof. Alex Guenther, obtained field measurements and then ran computer simulations to describe how, as Arctic ecosystems experience a warming climate, emissions of the molecule isoprene are escalating at rates that are far higher than anticipated.

From Science Daily

That's because isoprene affects the formation of ozone, aerosols and levels of methane in the air.

From Science Daily

And plants, Wang explained, release more isoprene when the weather is warmer.

From Science Daily

The 9000-year-old minerotrophic Siikaneva peatland emits large levels of terpenes dominated e.g., by isoprene and alpha-pinene.

From Science Daily

Now, with support from the National Science Foundation, Sharkey and his team are working to better understand the biomolecular processes plants use to make isoprene.

From Science Daily