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bromine

bromine

2 8.2
A dark reddish-brown poisonous liquid that turns into gas easily, found in seawater and used in factories
  • noun
  • /ˈbroʊmiːn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : bromo
  • Also implicated in the springtime chemical destruction of ozone over the Antarctic is bromine (Br).
  • bromine atom
  • bromine molecules
  • bromine compounds

Adding it to drinking water, swimming pools, spas, as we use bromine also these days.

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Examples

  • And so now they use bromine in the leavening, rising process of the bread.

  • Adding it to drinking water, swimming pools, spas, as we use bromine also these days.

  • Bromine can also accumulate in groundwater and be taken up by plants.

    Academic text (2000)
  • The two key ingredients for polar ozone losses are high chlorine and bromine levels and cold temperatures during the late winter.

    Academic text (1998)
  • Additional trace gases that destroy ozone in the stratosphere by chemical reactions include bromine (Br), nitric oxide (NO), and the hydroxyl radical (OH).

    Academic text (1992)

Synonyms

Br
vsbromine
  • Specialized
1 6.3

A written short name used in chemistry for the element bromine

is the full element name written in words rather than the short symbol

Surface Forms

bromine singular
bromines plural

Morphology

bromine = brom + ine

The suffix '-ine' commonly marks chemical substances/elements so learners may infer a chemical, but the root 'brom' is not a standalone English word and does not transparently convey the meaning to most learners.

Etymology

The word bromine comes from the Greek word bromos, meaning 'stench' or 'bad smell', because the element gives off a strong, unpleasant smell. The ending -ine is the same as in chlorine and fluorine, showing it is a similar element, so bromine refers to this smelly, reddish-brown element found in sea water and used in industry.