chemistry
: any of a class of completely conjugated cyclic hydrocarbons (such as benzene or cyclooctatetraene)
In 1991, a temperate rainforest near Puerto Montt in central Chile yielded a fungus that made annulene, a hydrocarbon that has a history going back to the first formulations of rocket fuel.—
Buzzy Gordon, Americas, 1 Nov. 2007 This class of annulenes, which have few hydrogens and are considered high-energy because of their numerous triple bonds, has also drawn attention as potential precursors to new carbon allotropes.—Elizabeth Wilson, Chemical & Engineering News, 3 Mar. 1997
Note:
Annulenes have the general chemical formula CnHn where n is an even number or CnHn + 1 if n is an odd number.
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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