Wohl degradation

noun

variants or Wohl reaction

¦vōl-

: a sequence of reactions for converting an aldose sugar to one containing one carbon atom less (as galactose to lyxose) by forming the oxime of the original aldose and next the corresponding acetylated nitrile and finally removing hydrogen and cyanogen in the form of hydrogen cyanide by means of ammoniacal silver hydroxide

Word History

Etymology

after Alfred Wohl, flourished 1920 German chemist

Love words?

You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

• More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
• Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
• Advanced search features
• Ad free!