phosgene
a poisonous, colorless, very volatile liquid or suffocating gas, COCl2, a chemical-warfare compound: used chiefly in organic synthesis.
Origin of phosgene
1- Also called carbon oxychloride, carbonyl chloride, chloroformyl chloride.
Words Nearby phosgene
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use phosgene in a sentence
In this bombardment he used a considerable number of shells containing phosgene gas.
The History of the 51st (Highland) Division 1914-1918 | Frederick William BewsherThis relief was considerably interrupted by a further lavish use of phosgene by the Germans.
The History of the 51st (Highland) Division 1914-1918 | Frederick William BewsherConstruction of the phosgene plant at Edgewood was begun on March 1, 1918.
America's Munitions 1917-1918 | Benedict CrowellEngland received 900 tons of our chlorpicrin and 368 tons of American phosgene.
America's Munitions 1917-1918 | Benedict CrowellIn addition to this we shipped 18,600 Livens drums loaded with phosgene.
America's Munitions 1917-1918 | Benedict Crowell
British Dictionary definitions for phosgene
/ (ˈfɒzdʒiːn) /
a colourless easily liquefied poisonous gas, carbonyl chloride, with an odour resembling that of new-mown hay: used in chemical warfare as a lethal choking agent and in the manufacture of pesticides, dyes, and polyurethane resins. Formula: COCl 2
Origin of phosgene
1Collins 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 phosgene
[ fŏs′jēn′ ]
A colorless, volatile gas that has the odor of freshly mowed hay. When it reacts with water (as in the lungs during respiration), phosgene produces hydrochloric acid and carbon monoxide. It is used in making glass, dyes, resins, and plastics, and was used as a poisonous gas during World War I. Also called carbonyl chloride. Chemical formula: COCl2.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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