Term: thermal black https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.T06296 Definition: A special type of carbon black produced by pyrolysis of gaseous hydrocarbons in a preheated chamber in the absence of air. Thermal black consists of relatively large individual spheres (100-500 nm diameter) and aggregates of a small number of pseudospherical particles. The preferred alignment of the layer planes is parallel to the surface of the spheres. Related Terms: 1) carbon black (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.C00824). 2) pyrolysis (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.P04961). 3) hydrocarbons (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.H02889). Source: PAC, 1995, 67, 473. 'Recommended terminology for the description of carbon as a solid (IUPAC Recommendations 1995)' on page 505 (https://doi.org/10.1351/pac199567030473) Citation: 'thermal black' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.T06296 License: The IUPAC Gold Book is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike CC BY-SA 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) for individual terms. Disclaimer: The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is continuously reviewing and, where needed, updating terms in the Compendium of Chemical Terminology (the IUPAC Gold Book). Users of these terms are encouraged to include the version of a term with its use and to check regularly for updates to term definitions that you are using.