Nitroalkanes

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Organic compounds featuring a nitro group attached to an alkane chain, often used as solvents or in chemical synthesis and sometimes as energetic materials
2. Molecules characterized by a nitro functional group bonded to a saturated hydrocarbon chain, employed in laboratory reagents, industry solvents, and as intermediates in various chemical reactions
3. Saturated hydrocarbons bearing one or more nitro substituents, known for their applications in research, solvent use, and as precursors in the manufacture of explosives and other products

Etymology: Nitroalkanes are named by simple chemical construction rather than by a memorable story. The "nitro" part comes from "nitrogen" combined with "oxygen" in the nitro group (NO2), which chemists in the nineteenth century linked to nitric acid, itself named for "nitre" (potassium nitrate). The "alkane" part comes from "alkyl," a term coined in the nineteenth century from "alcohol" and the "-yl" suffix used for radical groups, joined with "-ane," the ending given to saturated hydrocarbons by the German chemist August Wilhelm von Hofmann's school of nomenclature. Put together, the name describes exactly what these compounds are: a saturated hydrocarbon chain with a nitro group attached. The "-s" simply marks the plural of the general class name, which covers methanes, ethanes, and their many relatives.

Synonyms: nitroalkane compounds