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alkapton. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
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English
Etymology
From German Alkapton, coined by Boedeker (1861) as "an admittedly somewhat barbaric combination"[1] of Alkali (“alkali”) + Ancient Greek κάπτον (kápton), neuter present participle of Ancient Greek κάπτω (káptō, “to gulp down”), after the tendency of alkapton to strongly react with oxygen in alkaline solution.
Noun
alkapton (uncountable)
- (organic chemistry) homogentisic acid
Derived terms
References
- ^ C. Boedeker (1861) “Das Alkapton; ein Beitrag zur Frage: welche Stoffe des Harns können aus einer alkalischen Kupfer oxydlösung Kupferoxydul reduciren? [Alkapton; a contribution to the question: which substances in urine can reduce copper oxide from an alkaline copper oxide solution?]”, in Annalen der Chemie und Pharmacie, volume 117, page 101: “Ich nenne ihn deshalb Alkapton (freilich etwas barbarisch zusammengesetzt aus dem griechischen Particip von κάπτειν, begierig verschlucken und dem arabischen al kali), nach seinem hervortretenden Verhalten zum Sauerstoff in alkalischer Lösung.”