A colorless, odorless gas (CH₃Cl) also called methyl chloride, used as a refrigerant and in chemical synthesis.
From chlor- (chlorine) + methane (simplest hydrocarbon, from methyl alcohol), a systematic name describing its chemical composition.
Chlormethane was one of the first refrigerants used in home refrigerators in the early 1900s, but it was so toxic that dozens of people died from leaks—a tragic reminder of why we invented safer alternatives like CFCs and then had to ban those too.
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