What is "furan"

n. (context organic chemistry English) Any of a class of aromatic heterocyclic compounds containing a ring of four carbon atoms and an oxygen atom; especially the simplest one, C₄H₄O.

n. a colorless toxic flammable liquid used in the synthesis of nylon [syn: furane, furfuran]

Furan is a heterocyclic organic compound, consisting of a five-membered aromatic ring with four carbon atoms and one oxygen. The class of compounds containing such rings are also referred to as furans.

Furan is a colorless, flammable, highly volatile liquid with a boiling point close to room temperature. It is soluble in common organic solvents, including alcohol, ether, and acetone, and is slightly soluble in water. It is toxic and may be carcinogenic in humans. Furan is used as a starting point to other specialty chemicals.

Furan (also written as: Furens) is a 34 km long river in central France ( Loire department), right tributary of the river Loire. It flows through the city Saint-Étienne and flows into the Loire in the small town Andrézieux-Bouthéon.

Towns along the river include:

• Le Bessat
• Tarentaise
• Saint-Étienne
• La Fouillouse
• Andrézieux-Bouthéon

Furan may refer to:

• Furan, the chemical industrial compound
• Polychlorinated dibenzofurans, an unintentional contaminant byproduct of furans
• Furan (river) in France
• Furan, Iran, a village in Markazi Province, Iran
• Nitrofurantoin, by the trade name Furan