A colourless solid compound obtained from coal tar, used in the manufacture of dyes and drugs.
'He went on to demonstrate that this effect was greater than that of either acridine alone, light alone or acridine exposed to light and then added to the paramecium.'
'This effect of cholesterol was not observed in the results obtained here with acridine orange.'
noun, Chemistry.
1.
a colorless, crystalline solid, C 13 H 9 N, usually obtained from the anthracine fraction of coal tar: used chiefly in the synthesis of dyes and drugs.
Origin:
Late 19th century: coined in German from acrid + -ine.