About
蒽 (ēn) is a modern character crafted for scientific use, with the grass radical 艹 (cǎo) above the phonetic component 恩 (ēn). Unlike classical characters, it has no ancient etymology; it was created to designate the organic compound anthracene. The 艹 radical commonly signals organic compounds in Chinese chemical nomenclature, especially aromatic hydrocarbons, while 恩 echoes the sound of the international term. The character exists solely in modern chemistry and industry, referring to anthracene, a coal-tar derivative.
Report an issue
Flag incorrect definitions, examples, etymology, etc.