trichloroethylene
Meaning
a colorless toxic volatile liquid hydrocarbon used as a solvent and in dry cleaning.
Structure
Usage
trichloroethylene was once commonly used as an industrial degreasing agent.
due to its toxicity, the use of trichloroethylene in many applications has been phased out.
the chemical formula for trichloroethylene is c2hcl3.
Etymology
The term is a modern scientific compound, systematically constructed from international scientific vocabulary. The prefix "tri-" directly indicates the presence of three chlorine atoms. The element "chloro-" derives from the Greek word for the pale green color characteristic of chlorine gas. The base "ethylene" refers to the two-carbon hydrocarbon skeleton (ethene) to which the chlorine atoms are attached. Thus, the name transparently describes the molecule's chemical composition: an ethylene molecule where three hydrogen atoms have been replaced by three chlorine atoms.
Analysis
tri: from greek and latin, a numerical prefix meaning "three". chloro: from greek 'khlōros' (greenish-yellow), a combining form meaning "chlorine". ethylene: from 'ethyl' (the name of a hydrocarbon radical) + the chemical suffix '-ene' (denoting an unsaturated hydrocarbon containing a double bond).