A chlorinated hydrocarbon compound with a long carbon chain, related to paraffin compounds.
From chlor- (chlorine) + cosane (a C20 hydrocarbon chain, from Greek kosa or Latin viginti meaning twenty). This is a systematic organic chemistry term from the 20th century.
Long-chain chlorinated hydrocarbons like chlorcosane were once used in industry but are now studied because they persist in the environment—they're so chemically stable they don't break down easily, which is both useful and problematic.
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