Syngases

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Mixtures of gases produced during the gasification of organic materials
2. combinations used in energy production and industrial applications
3. typically containing hydrogen and carbon monoxide along with other compounds

Etymology: "Syngases" is simply the plural of "syngas," a shortening of "synthesis gas," the mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen produced when carbon-rich materials such as coal, biomass or natural gas are reacted with steam or oxygen. The name describes what the gas is: a product made by synthesis, meaning it is manufactured from other materials rather than extracted from the ground as-is. The clipped form keeps the core idea of the longer phrase while being much easier to say in technical writing. Plural forms like this are used when speaking of several distinct batches or types of the mixture, such as gases produced from different feedstocks or by different processes.

Synonyms: syngas, synthesis gas, carbon monoxide, hydrogen, fuel gas