lindane
(ˈlɪndeɪn)
[f. the name of Teunis van der Linden (b. 1884), Dutch chemist, who investigated the isomers of benzene hexachloride + -ane (perh. after chlordane).]
The gamma isomer of benzene hexachloride, C6H6Cl6, used as an insecticide; it is a colourless crystalline compound that is toxic to mammals but relatively harmless to plant life, and is used in the form of dusts, sprays, and aerosols.
| 1949 Lindane (Interdepartmental Comm. Pest Control, Bureau Entomol. & Plant Quarantine, U.S. Dept. Agric.) 3 The coined name, ‘Lindane’, is established for the gamma isomer of the chemical 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexachloro⁓cyclohexane of a purity not less than 99 percent. 1956 Nature 25 Feb. 367/1 In solid form ‘Dieldrin’ and ‘Lindane’ were the most effective toxicants against the larvæ of Aedes aegypti and Culex fatigans. 1961 New Scientist 6 July 26/3 A new liquid seed dressing..is based on lindane (a very pure form of gamma-BHC), which is considered to be the insecticide least hazardous to wild life. 1970 Nature 31 Oct. 403/2 Fresh and rain water in Britain contains small but not insignificant amounts of the chief persistent organochlorine pesticides, DDT, lindane and dieldrin. |