Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A colorless, oily liquid, CH3NO2, used in making dyes and resins, in organic synthesis, as a fuel in racecar engines, and as a rocket propellant.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A colorless oily compound, CH3NO2, prepared by the action of silver nitrite on methyl iodide. It boils at 101° C. and has acid properties.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Chem.) A nitro derivative of methane (CH3.NO2), obtained as a mobile liquid; -- called also nitrocarbol. It has been used as a rocket fuel and as a gasoline additive to add power to the fuel, especially in racing cars.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun a colourless oily liquid used in organic synthesis, and as a fuel for rockets, racing cars and model aircraft
  • noun chemistry the simplest nitroparaffin, CH3NO2

Etymologies

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Examples

  • Besides those two galvanized pipes we've been telling you about all day, they also discovered two vodka bottles that were containing nitromethane, which is very volatile -- very volatile.

    CNN Transcript Apr 2, 2008 2008

  • Now finely powder AN and add 1 part of this "jelly" to 3 parts AN and knead together with gloved hands (I got some terrific headaches after playing with this stuff, not sure what was the cause of it however nitro compounds such as nitromethane and nitroglycerine (from double based powder) are known to cause it in which case the nitroglycerine may have seperated and was absorbed into my skin or too many nitromethane fumes, so i suggest gloves and gas mask) ..

    The Makeshift Arsenal, by Lowry Version 1.2 1996

  • Joe wasn't crazy enough to tinker with radical fuel additives like nitromethane for street use.

    The Devil's Bedpost 2010

  • The National Hot Rod Association's ban on nitromethane fuels for the 1957-58 drag season was hashed over ... again.

    The Devil's Bedpost 2010

  • They've brought down and broken the government the way a truckload of fertilizer, nitromethane and Tovex brought down the federal building in Oklahoma.

    Steven Weber: Crime of the Century 2008

  • And nitromethane is commonly used in little airplane engines that hobbyists use.

    CNN Transcript Aug 12, 2006 2006

  • I love the smell of spent gunpowder, a new box of bluerock, WD-40, Fast Orange or any of those shop soaps like that, and leaded fuel, nitromethane, burnt differential oil and all those nice racing smells.

    Sunsets and Open Threads « Whatever 2006

  • What made the OK City bomb so powerful, was that McVeigh used nitromethane instead of diesel fuel.

    Firedoglake » The Real McCain, and Other Stories… 2006

  • They come in droves, hoping for a whiff of nitromethane.

    CNN Transcript Jul 2, 2004 2004

  • In what he admitted was his first operational role for al-Qaeda, KSM was responsible for casing airport security on a flight from Manila to Seoul, while Yousef took a flight from Hong Kong to Taipei.33 KSM took concentrated nitromethane, an inexpensive liquid explosive readily available in the Philippines, and poured out the contents of fourteen contact lens solution bottles, taking care not to break the plastic security seals.

    Seeds of Terror Maria A. Ressa 2003

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