| volatile | 1. Passing through the air on wings, or by the buoyant force of the atmosphere; flying; having the power to fly. 2. Capable of wasting away, or of easily passing into the aeriform state; subject to evaporation. Substances which affect the smell with pungent or fragrant odors, as musk, hartshorn, and essential oils, are called volatile substances, because they waste away on exposure to the atmosphere. Alcohol and ether are called volatile liquids for a similar reason, and because they easily pass into the state of vapor on the application of heat. On the contrary, gold is a fixed substance, because it does not suffer waste, even when exposed to the heat of a furnace; and oils are called fixed when they do not evaporate on simple exposure to the atmosphere. 3. Light-hearted; easily affected by circumstances; airy; lively; hence, changeable; fickle; as, a volatile temper. "You are as giddy and volatile as ever." (Swift) Volatile alkali. <chemistry> See Essential oils, under Essential. Origin: F. Volatil, L. Volatilis, fr. Volare to fly, perhaps akin to velox swift, E. Velocity. Cf. Volley. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| volatile anaesthetic | A liquid anaesthetic that at room temperature volatilises to a vapor which when inhaled is capable of producing general anaesthesia. See: anaesthetic vapor. (05 Mar 2000) |
| volatile fatty acid number | An index of the volatile acid content of a fat; the number of milliliters of 0.1 n KOH required to neutralise the soluble volatile fatty acids in 5 g of fat that has been saponified, acidified to liberate the fatty acids, and then steam-distilled. Synonym: volatile fatty acid number. (05 Mar 2000) |
| volatile mustard oil | CH2==CH-CH2-NCS; volatile mustard CH-allylisosulfocyanate; isothiocyanic allyl ester;obtained from Brassica nigra or produced synthetically; a vesicant, used in 10% solution in 50% alcohol as a counterirritant in neuralgia. Gives mustard its characteristics flavor and aroma. See: mustard oil. Synonym: volatile mustard oil. (05 Mar 2000) |
| volatile oil | A substance of oily consistency and feel, derived from a plant and containing the principles to which the odour and taste of the plant are due (essential oil); in contrast to a fatty oil, a volatile oil evaporates when exposed to the air and thus is capable of distillation; it may also be obtained by expression or extraction; many volatile oil's, identical to or closely resembling the natural oil's, can be made synthetically. Volatile oil's are used in medicine as stimulants, stomachics, correctives, carminatives, and for purposes of flavoring (e.g., peppermint oil). Synonym: ethereal oil. (05 Mar 2000) |
| volatile organic compounds | (VOC) Emissions of non-methane hydrocarbons, measured by standard DEQ methods. (05 Dec 1998) |
| sal volatile | A hydroalcoholic solution containing approximately 2% ammonia and 4% ammonium carbonate and the aromatics: lemon oil, lavender oil, and myristica oil. Used mainly by inhalation to produce reflex stimulation in persons who have fainted or are at risk of syncope. Synonym: sal volatile, smelling salts. (05 Mar 2000) |
| oils, volatile | Oils which evaporate readily. The volatile oils occur in aromatic plants, to which they give odour and other characteristics. most volatile oils consist of a mixture of two or more terpenes or of a mixture of an eleopten (the more volatile constituent of a volatile oil) with a stearopten (the more solid constituent). The synonym essential oils refers to the essence of a plant, as its perfume or scent, and not to its indispensibility. (12 Dec 1998) |
| fatty acids, volatile | Short-chain fatty acids of up to six carbon atoms in length. They are the major end products of microbial fermentation in the ruminant digestive tract and have also been implicated in the causation of neurological diseases in humans. (12 Dec 1998) |
| administration, inhalation | The administration of drugs by the respiratory route. It includes insufflation into the respiratory tract. (12 Dec 1998) |
| anaesthesia, inhalation | Anaesthesia caused by the breathing of anaesthetic gases or vapors or by insufflating anaesthetic gases or vapors into the respiratory tract. (12 Dec 1998) |
| anaesthetics, inhalation | Gases or volatile liquids that vary in the rate at which they induce anaesthesia; potency; the degree of circulation, respiratory, or neuromuscular depression they produce; and analgesic effects. Inhalation anaesthetics have advantages over intravenous agents in that the depth of anaesthesia can be changed rapidly by altering the inhaled concentration. Because of their rapid elimination, any postoperative respiratory depression is of relatively short duration. (12 Dec 1998) |
| burns, inhalation | Burns of the respiratory tract caused by heat or inhaled chemicals. (12 Dec 1998) |
| smoke inhalation injury | Pulmonary injury following the breathing in of toxic smoke from burning materials such as plastics, synthetics, building materials, etc. This injury is the most frequent cause of death in burn patients. (12 Dec 1998) |
| solvent inhalation | Inhalation of volatile organic solvents used in glue, nail polish remover, lacquer thinners, cleaning fluid, lighter fluid, and gasoline, for the purpose of self-intoxication. See: glue-sniffing. (05 Mar 2000) |