phycite

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English

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Etymology

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From phyco- +‎ -ite.

Noun

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phycite (countable and uncountable, plural phycites)

  1. (organic chemistry, obsolete) Erythritol, C4H6(OH)4, that has been obtained from the alga Protococcus vulgaris.
    • 1853, William Francis, The Chemical Gazette, page 200:
      The elementary composition of phycite is as follows: — Carbon 39.33 Hydrogen 8.25 Oxygen 52.46 which is represented by the formula C12 H15O12, in consequence of its relations...
    • 1853, American Journal of Science:
      Phycite is a saccharine substance obtained from an Alga, the Protococcus vulgaris, known under the name “Phycie.”
    • 1854, Annual of Scientific Discovery, page 266:
      Although this new substance, phycite, (as he calls it) is very sweet, M. Lamy objects to its being called a sugar.