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toluic acid

toluic acid

9.9
One of three similar chemicals made from toluene used to make dyes and medicines
  • noun
  • /təˈluːɪk ˈæsɪd/
  • Specialized
: ácido toluico
  • The laboratory synthesized all three toluic acid isomers for the experiment.

Examples

  • Many dyes are produced using toluic acid as a raw material.

  • Para-toluic acid is an important intermediate in the manufacture of terephthalic acid.

  • The chemist synthesized toluic acid for the experiment.

  • Many industries use toluic acids in their products.

  • Many dyes are produced using toluic acid as a raw material.

  • Para-toluic acid is an important intermediate in the manufacture of terephthalic acid.

  • The laboratory synthesized all three toluic acid isomers for the experiment.

Surface Forms

toluic acid singular
toluic acids plural

Morphology

toluic + acid

The element 'acid' is transparent, but 'toluic' is a specialized, derived form (from toluene + the adjectival suffix -ic) that is not a common vocabulary item for B1 learners. The construction follows regular chemical naming patterns found across languages, so the meaning (‘an acid related to toluene’) is inferable with some domain or morphological knowledge but not fully predictable for an average B1 learner.

Etymology

Toluic acid gets its name from 'toluene', a liquid first made from a sticky plant resin brought from the town of 'Tolu' in Colombia. The part toluic means 'from toluene' and acid shows it is an acid, so toluic acid means an acid related to toluene and used in dyes and medicines.