acetaldehyde

American  

[as-i-tal-duh-hahyd] / ˌæs ɪˈtæl dəˌhaɪd /

noun

Chemistry.

1. a volatile, colorless, water-soluble liquid, C 2 H 4 O, having a pungent, fruitlike odor: used chiefly in the silvering of mirrors and in organic synthesis.

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acetaldehyde British  

/ ˌæsɪˈtældɪˌhaɪd /

noun

1. Systematic name: ethanal. a colourless volatile pungent liquid, miscible with water, used in the manufacture of organic compounds and as a solvent and reducing agent. Formula: CH 3 CHO

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acetaldehyde Scientific  

/ ăs′ĭ-tăl′də-hīd′ /

1. A colorless, flammable liquid, used to manufacture acetic acid, perfumes, and drugs. Chemical formula: C ₂ H ₄ O.

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Etymology

Origin of acetaldehyde

First recorded in 1875–80; acet- + aldehyde

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

acetaldehyde

When activity increases, selectivity often drops, leaving acetaldehyde yields below 90%.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 29, 2025

ZBiotics has funded studies demonstrating both the safety of their product and that their bacteria effectively broke down a significant amount of acetaldehyde in simulated gut conditions in a lab.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 30, 2024

This suggests that when we drink red wine, the liver converts quercetin into quercetin-3-glucuronide, which causes us to accumulate acetaldehyde.

From Salon ● Dec. 13, 2023

It can cause cancer because it breaks down in the body to form a compound called acetaldehyde, which damages DNA.

From Scientific American ● Sep. 21, 2023

In the preparation of chloroform by the action of bleaching powder on ethyl alcohol it is probable that the alcohol is first oxidized to acetaldehyde, which is subsequently chlorinated and then decomposed.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 3 "Chitral" to "Cincinnati" by Various

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