


(ăs'ĭtăl`dəhīd) or


(ĕth`ənăl'), CH3CHO, colorless liquid aldehydealdehyde
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, sometimes simply called aldehyde. It melts at −123°C;, boils at 20.8°C;, and is soluble in water and ethanol. It is formed by the partial oxidation of ethanol; oxidation of acetaldehyde forms acetic acid. Acetaldehyde is made commercially by the oxidation of ethylene with a palladium catalyst (see Wacker processWacker process,
an industrial process for the manufacture of ethanol by oxidizing ethene. For example, bubbling ethylene and oxygen when treated by an acidified water solution of palladium and cupric chlorides yield acetaldehyde; reaction is catalyzed by PdCl2
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). It is used as a reducing agent (e.g., for silvering mirrors), in the manufacture of synthetic resins and dyestuffs, and as a preservative. When treated with a small amount of sulfuric acid it forms paraldehyde, (CH3CHO)3, a trimer, which is used as a hypnotic drug.



acetic aldehyde, CH3CHO, an organic compound; a colorless liquid with a sharp odor. Its boiling point is 20.8°C; its melting point, - 124°C. Its density is 783 kg/m3, and it is miscible in all proportions with water, alcohol, and ether. Acetaldehyde possesses all the properties characteristic of the aldehydes. In the presence of mineral acids it polymerizes into liquid trimeric paraldehyde (CH3CHO)3 and the crystalline tetrameric metaldehyde (CH3CHO)4. When both polymers are heated in the presence of sulfuric acid, acetaldehyde is liberated.

One of the long-known, basic methods for the preparation of acetaldehyde consists in combining water with acetylene in the presence of mercuric salts at a temperature of about 95°C (Kucherov’s reaction):

Because of the high cost and toxicity of mercury, another method for the direct catalytic hydration of acetylene has been worked out. A variant of indirect hydration is also possible; it consists in combining alcohol with acetylene in the presence of solid KOH, followed by saponification of the vinyl ether:

Acetaldehyde is also produced from ethyl alcohol by catalytic dehydrogenation at approximately 400°C. When acted upon by aluminum alkoxides, the acetaldehyde is transformed into ethylacetate (Tishchenko’s reaction):

This method has industrial significance. The oxidation of acetaldehyde by atmospheric oxygen over a catalyst is an industrial method for obtaining acetic anhydride. Acetaldehyde participates easily in aldol condensation:


Acetaldehyde is used in huge quantities in the production of acetic acid and acetic anhydride, in the preparation of various pharmaceuticals, and so on.


(organic chemistry)
C2H4O A colorless, flammable liquid used chiefly to manufacture acetic acid.


a colourless volatile pungent liquid, miscible with water, used in the manufacture of organic compounds and as a solvent and reducing agent. Formula: CH3CHO
References in periodicals archive ?
BMDL10 values were: 56, 0.36, 0.25 and 28mg [kg.sup.-1] of body weight per day were used for acetaldehyde (LACHENMEIER et al., 2009), acrolein (ATSDR, 2007), EC (SCHLATTER et al., 2010) and formaldehyde (MONAKHOVA et al., 2012), respectively, as already mentioned in a previous study (FERREIRA et al.
The hydrazine-reacted gaseous fraction found acetaldehyde in higher amounts (>10,000 [micro]g/[m.sup.3]) than the wood-only panel (ca.
The ethanol and acetaldehyde content in grapes with different degrees of rotting, the mortality and ADH and ALDH activity levels of D.
The team genetically modified the mice with a mutation that prevented blood stem cells from producing one of these enzymes - ALDH2 - to analyze the damage caused by acetaldehyde.
Cells were divided into six groups and seeded at 2 x [10.sup.6] for each group in 10-cm culture dish as follows: two groups were the untreated cells, while the other four groups were induced by acetaldehyde 100 [micro]M for 24 h.
One control group (cells untreated with acetaldehyle), an acetaldehyde group (200 [micro]mol/L), and three L-Cys groups with high, medium, and low concentrations of L-Cys (640,160, and 40 [micro]mol/L) were included in the study.
Also, catalase can participate in the production of acetaldehyde from the ethanol present in the brain.
In contrast, the Mo sites dominantly acted as the active site for dehydrogenation of ethanol to acetaldehyde. The rate of ethanol consumption was slower than the acid site.
The proceedings were commenced after independent testing commissioned by the ACCC indicated that the Joysticks e-cigarette product tested contained toxic chemicals including formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acrolein.
The formation of polymeric pigments can be accelerated through reactions with acetaldehyde that result via ethyl-linked bridges between anthocyanins and tannins.
Moreover, a small amount of ethanol can be oxidized to acetaldehyde by alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) classes I and IV [52, 55] in the stomach and intestine.