naphthalene

noun Chemistry.

1. a white, crystalline, water-insoluble hydrocarbon, C10H8, usually obtained from coal tar: used in making dyes, as a moth repellant, etc.

noun

1. a white crystalline volatile solid with a characteristic penetrating odour: an aromatic hydrocarbon used in mothballs and in the manufacture of dyes, explosives, etc. Formula: C 10 H 8

n.1821, coined by English chemist John Kidd (1775-1851), who first isolated and studied it, from naphtha + chemical suffix -ine (2) + -l- for the sake of euphony. n.

1. A toxic carcinogenic hydrocarbon derived from coal tar or petroleum and used as a solvent.

1. A white crystalline compound made from coal tar or petroleum and used to make dyes, mothballs, explosives, and solvents. Naphthalene consists of two benzene rings fused together. Chemical formula: C10H8.