cyano radical
- noun
- /ˈsaɪənoʊ ˈrædɪkəl/
- Specialized
:
radical ciano
- The cyano radical is highly reactive and present in many important organic reactions.
Examples
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Exposure to compounds containing the cyano radical can be dangerous due to their toxicity.
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Chemists often use the cyano radical to synthesize new pharmaceuticals.
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The cyano radical is essential in organic chemistry.
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Many compounds contain the cyano radical group.
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Chemists often use the cyano radical to synthesize new pharmaceuticals.
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Exposure to compounds containing the cyano radical can be dangerous due to their toxicity.
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The cyano radical is highly reactive and present in many important organic reactions.
Synonyms
A small part of a molecule with one carbon joined to one nitrogen by three bonds written −CN
A small chemical group made of one carbon and one nitrogen atom written as -CN
A small group of one carbon and one nitrogen atom, written -CN, found in many chemicals and often poisonous
Surface Forms
Morphology
cyano + radical
The compound is a straightforward scientific formation: 'cyano' denotes the –CN (cyanide) group and 'radical' denotes a reactive chemical species, so 'cyano radical' literally describes a radical containing a cyano group. Although 'cyano' is specialist vocabulary and may be unfamiliar to many B1 learners, if a learner knows both constituents the meaning is directly derivable following standard chemical naming conventions.
Etymology
Cyano radical comes from cyano, a Greek word for 'dark blue', because early chemists linked this blue color (for example in Prussian blue) to compounds that contained this group. Radical here means a 'small reactive part' of a molecule, so the name points to the reactive -CN piece found in many compounds.
