nitromethane
noun
ni·tro·meth·ane
ˌnī-trō-ˈme-ˌthān 
British usually -ˈmē-
: a liquid nitroparaffin CH3NO2 that is used as an industrial solvent, in chemical synthesis, and as a fuel for rockets and high-performance engines
Examples of nitromethane in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This is made possible by a V8 engine with a capacity of nearly 8,200 cubic centimeters (cc) running on nitromethane fuel.
—
Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 25 June 2024
Terror groups on both sides of Northern Ireland's sectarian conflict also built bombs using ANFO from the 1970s until the 1990s, and Timothy McVeigh used a combination of ammonium nitrate and nitromethane for a terror attack in Oklahoma City in 1995.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 5 Aug. 2020
However, nitromethane is actually much less volatile than gasoline.
—Matt Crisara, Popular Mechanics, 10 May 2022
Top-fuel dragsters run largely on nitromethane, a volatile fuel that contains oxygen.
—John Seabrook, The New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2022
But Top Fuel dragsters — the long, ultra-fast cars that dominate drag racing — can use up to 23 gallons of a fuel called nitromethane to go 1,000 feet.
—Elena Shao, SFChronicle.com, 26 July 2019
Federal agents initiated an investigation into Schaefer in late September amid concerns that Schaefer had been buying an explosive liquid called nitromethane, remotes used to set off fireworks and more than one hundred electric matches.
—Maxine Bernstein, OregonLive.com, 19 Oct. 2017
Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 25 June 2024
Terror groups on both sides of Northern Ireland's sectarian conflict also built bombs using ANFO from the 1970s until the 1990s, and Timothy McVeigh used a combination of ammonium nitrate and nitromethane for a terror attack in Oklahoma City in 1995.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 5 Aug. 2020
However, nitromethane is actually much less volatile than gasoline.
—Matt Crisara, Popular Mechanics, 10 May 2022
Top-fuel dragsters run largely on nitromethane, a volatile fuel that contains oxygen.
—John Seabrook, The New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2022
But Top Fuel dragsters — the long, ultra-fast cars that dominate drag racing — can use up to 23 gallons of a fuel called nitromethane to go 1,000 feet.
—Elena Shao, SFChronicle.com, 26 July 2019
Federal agents initiated an investigation into Schaefer in late September amid concerns that Schaefer had been buying an explosive liquid called nitromethane, remotes used to set off fireworks and more than one hundred electric matches.
—Maxine Bernstein, OregonLive.com, 19 Oct. 2017
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nitromethane.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Nitromethane.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nitromethane. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
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