Decanol

/ˈdɛkənɔːl/ noun

Definition

A colorless liquid alcohol with 10 carbon atoms, used in manufacturing perfumes, cosmetics, and other chemical products.

Etymology

From deca- (ten) + -ol (indicating an alcohol). The term was coined to systematically name alcohols based on their carbon chain length using Greek numerical prefixes.

Kelly Says

Decanol is what chemists call an 'oily' alcohol that's actually a key ingredient in some pleasant-smelling perfumes and soaps—the deca- prefix literally tells you it has exactly 10 carbons, making chemistry naming surprisingly logical once you crack the code.

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