Literally, an alcohol that has been dehydrogenated Compounds with at least one hydrogen atom attached to a C=O (carbonyl) group, such as formaldehyde (H2CO) or acetaldehyde (CH3CHO)
An organic compound that contains a functional group CHO For example: formaldehyde, HCHO, acetaldehyde, CH3CHO
Any of a class of organic compounds that contain a carbonyl group (CO; see functional group) in which the carbon atom is bonded to at least one hydrogen atom. Many have characteristic odours. Oxidation (see oxidation-reduction) of aldehydes yields acids; reduction produces alcohols. They participate in many chemical reactions and readily undergo polymerization into chains containing tens of thousands of the monomer molecule. The combination of aldehydes (e.g., formaldehyde) with other molecules results in several familiar plastics. Many aldehydes are large-scale industrial materials, useful as solvents, monomers, perfume ingredients, and intermediates. Many sugars are aldehydes, as are several natural and synthetic hormones and compounds such as retinal (a derivative of vitamin A, important in vision) and pyridoxal phosphate (a form of vitamin B6)
organic compounds with a structure resembling a chain of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms Aldehydes such as formaldehyde are made commercially, through reactions that include the catalytic removal of hydrogen from alcohols But aldehydes are also present in fossil fuel engine exhausts Formaldehyde, for example, is found typically at 29-43 parts per million in automobile exhaust, and at a higher percentage in diesel engines Aldehydes have been linked to cancer risk in humans, and formaldehyde was listed as a hazardous air pollutant in the 1990 United States Clean Air Act (Source: Mintzer, 1992)
Hydrocarbons that have a carbon-hydrogen-oxygen (CHO) triplet as part of their chemical structure The oxygen is attached to the carbon by a double bond This means that aldehydes are less stable and more reactive than alcohols
a class of organic compounds which have an end group with a carbon and oxygen double bonded to the same carbon These compounds, related to formaldehyde, are cross-linkers, mutagens, and carcinogens Malonaldehyde, created in the breakdown of peroxidized fats, is also carcinogenic, and an extremely potent cross-linker Acetaldehyde is made from alcohol in the liver (the acetaldehyde is a major reason alcoholics have such heavily wrinkled skin) and is found in cigarette smoke and smog Most aldehydes autoxidize, producing damaging free radicals
Very reactive organic compounds that contribute to local and regional ozone production, and also act as the precursors of peroxyacetyl nitrates Their major atmospheric fate is reaction with hydroxyl radicals or photolysis
An organic compound that is a precursor to ethanol in a normal beer fermentation In the presence of excess air, this reaction can be reversed by oxidation which imparts papery/woody flavors