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acrolein

noun
acro·​le·​in | \ ə-ˈkrō-lē-ən How to pronounce acrolein (audio) \

Definition of acrolein

: a colorless irritant pungent liquid aldehyde C3H4O used chiefly in organic synthesis

Examples of acrolein in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

 Both forms of cigarette use caused the presence of much higher levels of dangerous chemicals in the users’ bodies, including acrylonitrile, acrolein, propylene oxide, acrylamide and crotonaldehyde, the team reported. — Benjamin Fearnow, Newsweek, "E-Cigarette Users Ingest High Levels of Cancer-Causing Chemicals, Leads to Traditional Smoking," 6 Mar. 2018 Those who used both types of cigarette had significantly higher levels of dangerous chemicals, including acrylonitrile, acrolein, propylene oxide, acrylamide and crotonaldehyde, the team reported. — Maggie Fox /, NBC News, "Teens inhale cancer-causing chemicals in e-cigarettes," 5 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'acrolein.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of acrolein

circa 1857, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for acrolein

borrowed from German Acrolein, from Latin ācr-, ācer "sharp, acrid" + oleum oil entry 1 + German -in -in entry 1 — more at acr-

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More Definitions for acrolein

acrolein

noun
acro·​le·​in | \ ə-ˈkrō-lē-ən How to pronounce acrolein (audio) \

Medical Definition of acrolein

: a toxic colorless liquid aldehyde C3H4O with acrid odor and irritating vapors that polymerizes readily into resins and is used chiefly in organic synthesis (as of methionine)

— called also acrylaldehyde

More from Merriam-Webster on acrolein

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about acrolein

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