furfural

American  

[fur-fyuh-ral, -fuh-] / ˈfɜr fjəˌræl, -fə- /

noun

1. a colorless, oily liquid, C 5 H 4 O 2 , having an aromatic odor, obtained from bran, sugar, wood, corncobs, or the like, by distillation: used chiefly in the manufacture of plastics and as a solvent in the refining of lubricating oils.

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furfural Scientific  

/ fûr′fə-răl′ /

1. A colorless, sweet-smelling, liquid made from corncobs and used as a solvent in petroleum refining and as a fungicide and weed killer. It turns reddish brown when exposed to air and light. Furfural is an aldehyde of furan. Chemical formula: C ₅ H ₄ O ₂ .

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Etymology

Origin of furfural

1875–80; < Latin furfur bran + -al ³

Example Sentences

If a book smells chocolatey, it’s likely that it is releasing vanillin, benzaldehyde and furfural – three chemicals associated with the degradation of the cellulose and lignin in paper.

From The Guardian • Apr. 7, 2017

In fact, says Strlič, the smell is due to the release of chemicals such as furfural and hexanol as the paper itself decays.

From The Guardian • Apr. 7, 2017

Cotton seeds now contribute to the manufacture of refined oils, stearin, soap, nitroglycerine, roofing paint, writing paper, nitrocellulose, smokeless powder, lacquers, artificial leather, celluloid, rayon, photographic films, sausage casings, toilet ware, furfural, etc., etc.

From Time Magazine Archive

The University of Colorado's Richard Doty conducted more than 100,000 sniff tests to determine changes in the ability of volunteers to detect a chemical called furfural, a scent found in cloves and cinnamon.

From Time Magazine Archive

The products from the woods of birch and maple contained furfural-yielding constituents, represented by yields of 6-8 p.ct. furfural.

From Researches on Cellulose 1895-1900 by Cross, C. F.