Definition

1. Noun:
   • A colorless flammable volatile liquid hydrocarbon used as a solvent: Xylol is an industrial chemical, specifically a mixture of isomers of dimethylbenzene, characterized by its clear appearance, ability to catch fire easily, rapid evaporation, and primary use for dissolving other substances.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The laboratory used xylol to clean the microscope slides.
  • Proper ventilation is required when handling xylol due to its volatile nature.
  • The paint was thinned with a solvent containing xylol.

Advanced Usage

• Technical Context: In industrial and laboratory settings, "xylol" is often used interchangeably with the more common term "xylene", though it specifically refers to the commercial mixture.
  • The protocol specifies rinsing the tissue sample in xylol before paraffin embedding.

Variants and Related Words

• Xylene (n): The more precise chemical name for the group of isomers (ortho-, meta-, para-xylene) that constitute xylol.
  • The chemical formula for a xylene isomer is C₈H₁₀.

Synonyms

• Dimethylbenzene: The systematic chemical name.
• Xylene: The standard term in scientific and industrial contexts for the same substance.

Notes on Usage

• Caution: The word "xylol" is highly technical and specific to industrial, chemical, and laboratory contexts. It is not used in everyday conversation. In most scientific writing, "xylene" is the preferred term.
• Meaning: It has only one primary meaning as a specific chemical solvent. It does not have idioms, phrasal verbs, or multiple common definitions.

Noun

1. a colorless flammable volatile liquid hydrocarbon used as a solvent