Methylbenzene

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A colorless, flammable liquid with a distinctive sweet odor used primarily as an industrial solvent and starting material in chemical synthesis; a hydrocarbon consisting of a benzene ring bonded to a single methyl group; commonly found in products like paint thinners and adhesives
2. An aromatic compound formed by attaching one methyl group to a benzene ring that serves as a basic feedstock in manufacturing processes and is recognized by its characteristic solvent properties and smell
3. A volatile organic chemical featuring a benzene ring substituted with a methyl group, utilized widely as a solvent in various industrial applications and as a precursor in organic chemical production

Etymology: Methylbenzene is a systematic chemical name, built the way chemists name compounds: "methyl" plus "benzene," with the two parts describing the molecule's structure. Benzene is the six-carbon ring that gives its name to a whole family of aromatic compounds, and "methyl" refers to a single carbon atom bonded to three hydrogens, the simplest alkyl group. Attaching one methyl group to the ring produces the compound, so the name reads almost like a diagram of the molecule. The more familiar name for this substance is toluene, a term that long predates the systematic naming. Chemists use "methylbenzene" in formal nomenclature precisely because it states the structure outright, while "toluene" is the common name that persists in industry and everyday use.

Synonyms: toluene