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Glite Dictionary
nitrogen trichloride

nitrogen trichloride

8.0
A yellow chemical with a strong smell that can irritate eyes and lungs and was once used to bleach flour
  • noun
  • /ˈnaɪtrədʒən traɪˈklɔːraɪd/
  • Specialized
translation icon : tricloruro de nitrógeno
  • The yellow color and strong smell make nitrogen trichloride easy to identify in the laboratory.

Examples

  • Nitrogen trichloride is no longer used in food processing due to safety concerns.

  • The chemical formula for nitrogen trichloride is NCl3.

  • Exposure to nitrogen trichloride may cause irritation of the eyes and respiratory tract.

  • Many nitrogen trichlorides are used in laboratory experiments.

  • Nitrogen trichloride is a hazardous compound that should be handled with extreme caution in the lab.

  • Researchers studied the effects of nitrogen trichloride on various organic materials during the experiment.

  • Due to its volatility, nitrogen trichloride must be stored in tightly sealed containers away from heat sources.

Synonyms

Agene
vsnitrogen trichloride
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A yellow strong-smelling chemical once used to bleach and age flour

means the same substance but named by chemical formula NCl3

Surface Forms

nitrogen trichloride singular
nitrogen trichlorides plural

Morphology

nitrogen + trichloride

The name is transparently compositional: 'nitrogen' + 'trichloride' denotes a chemical species in which nitrogen is bonded to three chlorine atoms (hence NCl3), so a learner who knows the constituent meanings can infer it is a nitrogen–chlorine compound. Specific sensory properties or historical uses (yellow, pungent, bleaching agent) are not predictable from the form, but the basic identity as a chemical compound is directly derivable and follows regular cross-linguistic chemical-naming logic.

Etymology

The chemical name nitrogen trichloride literally names its parts: nitrogen, plus tri (meaning 'three') and chloride, so it is one nitrogen joined to three chlorine atoms. It is a yellow, strong‑smelling chemical that was once used to bleach flour but proved dangerous, which is why it is no longer used.