acetaldehyde (redirected from Acetic aldehyde)

acetaldehyde (ăs'ĭtăl`dəhīd) or ethanal (ĕth`ənăl'), CH₃CHO, colorless liquid aldehyde, 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 process). 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.

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acetaldehyde

a colourless volatile pungent liquid, miscible with water, used in the manufacture of organic compounds and as a solvent and reducing agent. Formula: CH₃CHO

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acetaldehyde [‚as·əd′al·də‚hīd]

(organic chemistry)

C₂H₄O A colorless, flammable liquid used chiefly to manufacture acetic acid.