Cryptic crossword clue
Chemical pile, not a brown source of energy 7

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word HEPTANE

I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
H
E
P
T
A
N
E

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Chemical" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case chemical = heptane.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

What does HEPTANE mean?

HEPTANE noun
  1. Any of the nine isomers of the saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon C7H16, obtained from petroleum, especially n-heptane (CH3(CH2)5CH3)

Latest crossword clues with full explanations