pristane
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˈprɪsteɪn/
- Specialized
- Some oils naturally contain small amounts of pristane as a component.
Examples
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Scientists added pristane to the solution to study its effects on immune cells.
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Can you identify pristane in the sample?
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The laboratory ordered more pristane for their ongoing experiments.
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The scientist used pristane in her experiments.
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In geochemical studies, pristane is often analyzed to understand the environmental conditions of ancient sedimentary rocks.
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Researchers frequently use pristane as a reference compound to assess the quality of hydrocarbon samples in laboratory experiments.
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The presence of pristane in oil samples can indicate the source and thermal maturity of the hydrocarbons.
Surface Forms
Morphology
pristane = prist + ane
A technical chemical name formed with the suffix '-ane' attached to a non-standalone combining form 'prist', so an average B1 learner cannot derive the meaning from its parts.
Etymology
The word pristane names a colorless, oily chemical used in scientific research. A helpful way to remember it is to think of pristane like pristine, which means 'pure', because it is a simple, clear oil scientists use in labs.