Carbazic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to or derived from carbazole, a heterocyclic aromatic compound containing nitrogen used in dyes and organic synthesis
2. Describing a chemical substance that contains or is based on the carbazole ring structure, a fused tricyclic nitrogen compound
3. Pertaining to carbazole or its derivatives, which are aromatic molecules built around a nitrogen-containing three-ring framework

Etymology: Carbazic is a chemist's adjective, formed by adding the suffix "-ic" to carbazole, the name of a nitrogen-containing compound. Carbazole's own name is a blend: "carb" from carbon, and "azole," the ending for a family of five-membered ring compounds containing nitrogen. That ending goes back to "azote," the French name for nitrogen coined by Antoine Lavoisier from Greek roots meaning "without life," since nitrogen does not support breathing or burning. The name fits the structure. Carbazole has three fused rings, two benzene rings joined by a central five-membered ring that contains a nitrogen atom. Chemists use "carbazic" for properties and derivatives associated with that ring system.