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Glite Dictionary
tetramethyldiarsine

tetramethyldiarsine

9.9
A poisonous oily liquid that smells like garlic and can catch fire in dry air
  • noun
  • /ˌtɛtrəˌmɛθɪlˈdaɪərsaɪn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : tetrametildiarcina
  • Exposure to tetramethyldiarsine is dangerous due to its spontaneous combustion in dry air.

Examples

  • The garlicky smell of tetramethyldiarsine can be detected even at low concentrations.

  • Tetramethyldiarsine is highly toxic and must be handled with extreme care in the laboratory.

  • The chemical tetramethyldiarsine is highly toxic.

  • Scientists studied tetramethyldiarsine for its hazardous properties.

  • Tetramethyldiarsine is a toxic substance that can ignite spontaneously when exposed to air.

  • Inhaling fumes from tetramethyldiarsine can cause serious health issues due to its poisonous nature.

  • The tetramethyldiarsine used in the experiment released a garlicky odor that indicated its presence.

Synonyms

cacodyl
vstetramethyldiarsine
  • Specialized
9.9

A poisonous oily chemical that smells like garlic and can catch fire in dry air

emphasises its oily liquid state rather than stressing volatility

Surface Forms

tetramethyldiarsine singular
tetramethyldiarsines plural

Morphology

tetramethyldiarsine = diarsine (opaque) = tetra + di + methyl + arsine

The name follows systematic chemical nomenclature requiring domain knowledge (numeric and substituent prefixes); the meaning is not recoverable by a general B1 learner from the parts.

Etymology

Tetramethyldiarsine breaks into clear parts: tetra- means 'four', methyl (as in methane) is a small carbon group, and di- means 'two' while arsine comes from 'arsenic', a poisonous element. So the name describes a chemical with four methyl groups on two arsenic parts, which helps explain why it is a toxic arsenic compound that can catch fire in dry air.