CARBON TETRACHLORIDE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does carbon tetrachloride mean? 

• CARBON TETRACHLORIDE (noun)
  The noun CARBON TETRACHLORIDE has 1 sense:

1. a colorless nonflammable liquid used as a solvent for fats and oils; because of its toxicity its use as a cleaning fluid or fire extinguisher has declined

  Familiarity information: CARBON TETRACHLORIDE used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CARBON TETRACHLORIDE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A colorless nonflammable liquid used as a solvent for fats and oils; because of its toxicity its use as a cleaning fluid or fire extinguisher has declined

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Synonyms:

carbon tet; carbon tetrachloride; perchloromethane; tetrachloromethane

Hypernyms ("carbon tetrachloride" is a kind of...):

dissolvent; dissolver; dissolving agent; resolvent; solvent (a liquid substance capable of dissolving other substances)

tetrachloride (any compound that contains four chlorine atoms per molecule)

 Context examples 

The researchers studied liver function in mice following long-term exposure to carbon tetrachloride, a chemical commonly associated with Superfund sites.

(Newly discovered cells restore liver damage in mice without cancer risk, NIH)

A synthetic, light sensitive, light yellow liquid that is slightly soluble in water and miscible with carbon tetrachloride, diethyl ether and ethanol.

(o-Toluidine, NCI Thesaurus)

Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), which was once used in applications such as dry cleaning and as a fire-extinguishing agent, was regulated in 1987 under the Montreal Protocol along with other chlorofluorocarbons that destroy ozone and contribute to the ozone hole over Antarctica.

(Ozone-depleting compound persists, NASA)