ˈthīəˌfēn noun
( -s )
Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary thi- + phene
: a liquid compound C 4 H 4 S that is analogous to furan and pyrrole in its heterocyclic structure and resembles benzene both physically and chemically except for its greater reactivity, that is found in small amounts (as up to 0.5 percent by weight) in benzene from coal tar unless it has been removed by treatment with sulfuric acid, that is usually made commercially from butane and sulfur at high temperature, and that is used chiefly in organic synthesis (as of antihistaminic drugs) — see indophenin ; compare structural formula