Decalin

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A colorless, flammable liquid hydrocarbon made from naphthalene, used as a solvent and in industrial processes
2. A clear, combustible bicyclic hydrocarbon liquid employed as a solvent for oils, resins and fats
3. An industrial solvent, a colorless flammable liquid derived from naphthalene that is used in paints and varnishes

Etymology: Decalin is a systematic chemical name built from its own structure. Its parent compound, naphthalene, is a two-ring hydrocarbon with the formula C10H8. Adding hydrogen to it gives the fully saturated molecule C10H18. The "deca-" prefix means ten, referring to the molecule's ten carbon atoms, and the name records the hydrogenated naphthalene it comes from. Naphthalene's own name has a longer route. Its root, "naphtha," comes from Persian "naft," meaning crude petroleum, and reached European chemistry through Greek and Latin. Naphthalene was first isolated from coal tar, one of the oily distillates that naphtha names. Decalin later became a commercial solvent, and the trade name has since become a general term for the compound.

Synonyms: decahydronaphthalene