Acetaldehyde | Chemical Compound | Britannica

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External Websites

• United States Environmental Protection Agency - Acetaldehyde
• National Center for Biotechnology Information - Acetaldehyde
• Nature - Communications Chemistry - Formation, stabilization and fate of acetaldehyde and higher aldehydes in an autonomously changing prebiotic system emerging from acetylene
• New Jersey Department of Health - Acetaldehyde
• Frontiers - Mystic Acetaldehyde: The Never-Ending Story on Alcoholism
• Royal Society of Chemistry - Acetaldehyde in the indoor environment
• CAMEO Chemicals - Acetaldehyde

acetaldehyde chemical compound Ask Anything Homework Help Also known as: ethanal Written by William H. Brown Emeritus Professor of Chemistry, Beloit College, Wisconsin. William H. Brown Fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors History Britannica AI Ask Anything Homework Help Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask Anything

acetaldehyde (CH3CHO), an aldehyde used as a starting material in the synthesis of 1-butanol (n-butyl alcohol), ethyl acetate, perfumes, flavourings, aniline dyes, plastics, synthetic rubber, and other chemical compounds. It has been manufactured by the hydration of acetylene and by the oxidation of ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Today the dominant process for the manufacture of acetaldehyde is the Wacker process, developed between 1957 and 1959, which catalyzes the oxidation of ethylene to acetaldehyde. The catalyst is a two-component system consisting of palladium chloride, PdCl2, and copper chloride, CuCl2.

Also called: ethanal (Show more) Related Topics: aldehyde aldol (Show more) See all related content

Pure acetaldehyde is a colourless, flammable liquid with a pungent, fruity odour; it boils at 20.8 °C (69.4 °F).

William H. Brown