Meaning & use
glycol
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Meanings
noununcountablechemistrytechnical
A thick, sweet-tasting liquid alcohol used in antifreeze, solvents, and many industrial products.
Grammar: Usually uncountable, but different chemical types can be counted: ethylene glycol, propylene glycol.
Patterns
- ethylene glycol
- propylene glycol
- a glycol-based product
Ethylene glycol is the main ingredient in most car antifreeze.
Propylene glycol is often used to keep food and medicines moist.
The lab stored several glycols in clearly labeled containers.
nouncountablechemistrytechnical
Any of a group of related chemical compounds that contain two alcohol groups in each molecule.
Grammar: Countable when referring to specific members of the chemical family: a glycol, two glycols.
Patterns
- a simple glycol
- the glycol family
- react with a glycol
In this reaction, a glycol combines with an acid to form an ester.
Chemists classify these substances as glycols because each molecule has two -OH groups.
Word forms
| plural | glycols |
|---|
Common combinations
- ethylene glycol
- Ethylene glycol lowers the freezing point of water in radiators.
- propylene glycol
- Propylene glycol is considered safer for use in food and cosmetics.
- glycol solution
- The technician replaced the glycol solution in the cooling system.
- glycol-based
- They installed a glycol-based heating system for the greenhouse.
Synonyms and how they differ
- diol
- Diol is the precise chemical term for any compound with two alcohol groups; glycol is the more common everyday name in industry.
- antifreeze
- Antifreeze is the product or mixture added to a car, while glycol is the chemical substance that does the job.
Word family
- glycolic adjective
- Relating to or derived from glycol, as in glycolic acid.
- polyethylene glycol noun
- A polymer made from ethylene glycol, widely used in medicine and cosmetics.
Commonly confused: glycol or glycerol? glycol or glycerin?
glycol vs glycerol
Glycerol (also called glycerin) is a different, three-carbon alcohol with three -OH groups; glycol has two.
glycol vs glycerin
Glycerin is the common name for glycerol, a moisturizing liquid, not the same as glycol.
Practice
Which sentence uses "glycol" correctly?
Choose one answer.
Glycol is a chemical liquid used in antifreeze, so adding it to a radiator fits. The other options treat it as food, a game, or a piece of writing, which are unrelated meanings.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “glycol”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.