nitrobenzene

American  

[nahy-troh-ben-zeen, -ben-zeen] / ˌnaɪ troʊˈbɛn zin, -bɛnˈzin /

noun

Chemistry.

1. a pale yellow, toxic, water-soluble liquid, C 6 H 5 NO 2 , produced by nitrating benzene with nitric acid: used chiefly in the manufacture of aniline.

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nitrobenzene British  

/ ˌnaɪtrəʊˈbɛnziːn /

noun

1. a yellow oily toxic water-insoluble liquid compound, used as a solvent and in the manufacture of aniline. Formula: C 6 H 5 NO 2

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Etymology

Origin of nitrobenzene

First recorded in 1865–70; nitro- + benzene

Example Sentences

The Jiangsu environmental protection bureau said late on Friday that a team of 126 inspectors found various degrees of contamination in local water samples, with nitrobenzene concentrations exceeding standards at one location.

From Reuters • Mar. 22, 2019

The life-saving antibiotic contains two chemicals which are normally poisonous: a nitrobenzene compound and a derivative of dichloracetic acid, now used chiefly for getting rid of warts.

From Time Magazine Archive

Benzene, nitrobenzene and aniline, used to produce explosives, fungicides, dyes and shoe polish, are nasty substances to have in a river.

From Time Magazine Archive

Indeed, neither the company nor government officials mentioned the facility's tanks of benzene, nitrobenzene and a related chemical called aniline, located near the banks of the Songhua River.

From Time Magazine Archive

The guinea pig, that immunologically famous animal, can be trained to perceive fantastically small amounts of nitrobenzene by his nose, without the help of Freund’s adjuvants or haptene carriers.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas