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Glite Dictionary
isoquinoline

isoquinoline

9.9
A chemical that has nitrogen and helps make dyes and medicines
  • noun
  • /ˌaɪsoʊˈkwɪnəˌliːn/
  • Specialized
: isoquinolina
  • The compound isoquinoline is utilized in making various dyes and medicinal products.

Examples

  • Researchers are studying isoquinoline derivatives for their potential medicinal properties.

  • The chemical structure of isoquinoline makes it valuable in the development of novel medicinals.

  • It contains nine narcotic alkaloids of the isoquinoline series, some of them strychnine-like in physiological action, the rest morphine-like.

    Academic text (2005)

Surface Forms

isoquinoline singular
isoquinolines plural

Morphology

isoquinoline = quinoline (semi-transparent) = iso + quinoline

The structure is clearly 'iso-' + 'quinoline', but the prefix 'iso-' has a specialised chemical meaning (isomeric form) that is not obvious to general learners.

Etymology

The word isoquinoline breaks into iso- meaning 'equal' or 'same' and quinoline, the name of a chemical ring you also see in quinine, a well-known medicine. So isoquinoline is a form of quinoline with the same basic parts put together a little differently, which helps explain why it is used as a base in dyes and medicines.