Bromocyanogen

/ˌbroʊmoʊˈsaɪənədʒən/ noun

Definition

A volatile chemical compound formed from bromine and cyanogen, used as a reagent in organic chemistry.

Etymology

From bromo- (bromine) + cyanogen (a compound of carbon and nitrogen). Cyanogen itself comes from Greek 'kyanos' (blue) because cyanides were originally discovered as blue pigments.

Kelly Says

Bromocyanogen is beautifully named because 'cyan' means blue in Greek, and bromocyanogen is indeed a yellowish-red gas—chemistry often names things after colors observed when creating them, even if the final product looks completely different!

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