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Glite Dictionary
carbon disulfide

carbon disulfide

6.9
A poisonous clear liquid that easily catches fire and dissolves rubber used to make rayon and cellophane
  • noun
  • /ˈkɑrbən dɪˈsʌlfaɪd/
  • Specialized
translation icon : disulfuro de carbono
  • The factory uses carbon disulfide in the production of synthetic fibers.

Examples

  • Carbon disulfide is commonly used as a solvent in various chemical processes.

  • Exposure to carbon disulfide can be hazardous without proper ventilation.

  • Researchers studied the effects of carbon disulfide on the nervous system.

  • The chemical carbon disulfide is highly toxic.

  • Workers must handle carbon disulfide with care.

  • The laboratory technician carefully handled the carbon disulfide to avoid any toxic exposure.

  • Due to its flammable nature, carbon disulfide must be stored away from heat sources.

Surface Forms

carbon disulfide singular
carbon disulfides plural

Morphology

carbon + disulfide

The phrase is a systematic chemical name formed compositionally from 'carbon' + 'disulfide', so a learner who knows those constituents can infer it refers to a compound containing carbon and sulfur (CS2). Chemical naming conventions are cross-linguistically regular, making the core referent (a chemical compound) predictable for learners, even though specific properties like toxicity or physical state require extra domain knowledge.

Etymology

Carbon disulfide is named from its parts: carbon and disulfide, where 'di-' means two, so imagine one carbon atom with two sulfur atoms attached. That's why the name refers to a simple liquid used as a 'solvent' in industry and why it is known to be 'toxic' and easy to catch fire.