What does bromoform mean?
Bromoform is a colourless organic compound with the formula CHBr₃, also known by its systematic name tribromomethane. It belongs to the haloform family of chemicals — compounds of the type CHX₃ — alongside chloroform and iodoform, and is the heaviest of these common members, giving it an unusually high density for an organic liquid. A heavy, sweet-smelling fluid that darkens on exposure to light, bromoform is not a household substance but a specialist one: chemists encounter it chiefly as a reagent and as a very dense solvent used in mineral separation. It also has a natural life, being produced in small amounts by marine algae and seaweeds, which contributes to the familiar odour of the seashore. The word is technical in register and appears almost exclusively in scientific writing. Because it is toxic and environmentally regulated, references to bromoform often carry an implicit note of caution, making the term useful precisely where precision about hazardous chemistry matters most.
nounA heavy, colourless organic liquid compound, CHBr₃ (tribromomethane), belonging to the haloform family and used chiefly as a laboratory reagent and solvent.
- The chemical compound CHBr₃ (tribromomethane), a dense, colourless liquid haloform used as a laboratory reagent and solvent.
"The chemist distilled the bromoform under reduced pressure to avoid its decomposition in light."
"Marine algae naturally produce small quantities of bromoform, which contributes to the distinctive smell of seaweed."
"In the lab, bromoform serves as a high-density solvent for separating minerals by their specific gravity."
Rarely pluralised, as bromoform is typically treated as a mass noun referring to the substance itself; the plural appears only when discussing distinct samples or preparations.
"Both bromoforms were analysed separately to confirm identical purity levels."
Bromoform is the heaviest of the common haloforms — so dense that it sinks like a stone — and it's the reason seaweed smells the way it does.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bromoform
The word bromoform was formed in the nineteenth century from 'brom-', the combining form of bromine (itself from Greek brōmos, meaning 'stench'), plus '-form', borrowed by analogy with chloroform. Chloroform had been named earlier from chlorine and formic acid, since the compound can be prepared from formic acid derivatives; the same naming pattern was then applied to the bromine analogue. Related coinages include iodoforform's sibling iodoform and the broader family of brominated terms such as bromide and bromate.
How bromoform is actually used
A technical term confined mainly to chemistry; uncountable in ordinary use, though 'bromoforms' may occasionally appear when referring to multiple samples or isotopic variants. Handle-with-care connotations apply, as the compound is toxic and regulated.
Easily confused with bromoform
Chloroform is the analogous chlorine-containing compound (CHCl₃), historically famous as an anaesthetic, whereas bromoform is the heavier bromine analogue (CHBr₃) and is not used medically.