Definition

Noun: 1. A powerful explosive compound: A heavy, yellow, oily, poisonous, and highly explosive liquid substance. It is produced through a chemical process called nitration, which involves reacting glycerol with nitric acid. 2. A medical vasodilator: The same chemical compound, when used in very small, carefully controlled doses in medicine, acts to widen (dilate) blood vessels. This is used to treat heart conditions like angina pectoris.

Usage

• As an explosive material:
  • The factory specializes in the production of trinitroglycerin for industrial use.
  • Due to its instability, handling pure trinitroglycerin is extremely dangerous.
• As a pharmaceutical agent:
  • The doctor prescribed trinitroglycerin to relieve his chest pain.
  • In medicine, trinitroglycerin is often administered under the tongue.

Advanced Usage

• Chemical Context: The term is primarily used in scientific, industrial, and historical contexts to refer to the pure chemical compound. In common parlance, especially regarding explosives, the more general term "nitroglycerin" is almost always used.
• Pharmaceutical Context: In medical settings, the compound is almost exclusively referred to by its brand names (e.g., Nitrostat) or simply as "nitroglycerin."

Variants and Related Words

• Nitroglycerin (n.): The common and nearly synonymous name for the same substance. "Trinitroglycerin" is the precise chemical name, while "nitroglycerin" is the term used in general, medical, and most technical contexts.
• NG (n.): A common abbreviation.
• Glyceryl trinitrate (n.): A systematic chemical name for the compound, often used interchangeably with trinitroglycerin, particularly in British and pharmacological English.
• Dynamite (n.): A stable explosive invented by Alfred Nobel, which uses a porous material like diatomaceous earth to absorb and stabilize liquid trinitroglycerin.

Synonyms

• (Explosive/Medical): Nitroglycerin, NG, glyceryl trinitrate.
• (Explosive only): Blasting oil.
• (Medical only): Nitrostat®, Nitrospan® (trade names).

Related Phrases/Idioms

• A nitroglycerin situation: An idiom (using the common name) describing an extremely tense, volatile, or dangerous scenario that must be handled with the utmost care to avoid a disastrous outcome.

Noun

1. a heavy yellow poisonous oily explosive liquid obtained by nitrating glycerol; used in making explosives and medically as a vasodilator (trade names Nitrospan and Nitrostat)