acetyl chloride
- noun
- /əˈsiːtɪl ˈklɔɪərɪd/
- Specialized
:
cloruro de acetilo
- In the laboratory, safety protocols require that you handle acetyl chloride with care due to its pungent odor.
Examples
-
The chemist used acetyl chloride to synthesize an important organic compound.
-
The WCO has also established "Operation Halide" to monitor the legal movement of acetic acid and acetyl chloride, which can both be used for the manufacture of heroin, but has noted that it is not possible to reflect an accurate picture of the precursor smuggling.
Academic text (2007) -
During the reaction, the acetyl chloride quickly evaporated, leaving no residue.
Synonyms
A colorless liquid with a strong sharp smell used in chemistry to add a small chemical part to other molecules
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a compositional chemical name combining 'acetyl' (the acyl group derived from acetic acid) with 'chloride' (a chlorine-containing compound), so its meaning as the chloride derivative of an acetyl group follows directly from the parts. Chemical nomenclature like this is productive and cross-linguistically similar, so a learner who knows both constituents can infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Acetyl chloride comes from its two parts: acetyl, a small piece related to acetic acid which is the main part of vinegar, and chloride, showing it has a chlorine atom. So the name literally means an acetyl group joined to chlorine, which is why this liquid is used in chemistry to add 'acetyl' groups to other molecules.
