formaldehyde

3 definitions found

formaldehyde - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Formaldehyde \For*mal"de*hyde\, n. [Formic + aldehyde.] (Chem.)
     A colorless, volatile liquid, H2CO, resembling acetic or
     ethyl aldehyde, and chemically intermediate between methyl
     alcohol and formic acid.
     [1913 Webster]

  Aldehyde \Al"de*hyde\ ([a^]l"d[-e]*h[imac]d), n. [Abbrev. fr.
     alcohol dehydrogenatum, alcohol deprived of its hydrogen.]
     1. (Chem.) A colorless, mobile, and very volatile liquid
        obtained from alcohol by certain processes of oxidation.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. (Chem.) Any compound having the group -CHO. Methyl
        aldehyde, the simplest aldehyde, is more commonly called
        formaldehyde, H-CHO, and acetic aldehyde is now more
        commonly called acetaldehyde. The higher aldehydes may
        be solids. A reducing sugar typically contains the
        aldehyde group.
        [PJC]
  
     Note: The aldehydes are intermediate between the alcohols and
           acids, and differ from the alcohols in having two less
           hydrogen atoms in the molecule, as common aldehyde
           (called also acetaldehyde, acetic aldehyde or
           ethyl aldehyde), C2H4O; methyl aldehyde (called
           also formaldehyde), CH2O.
           [1913 Webster +PJC]
  
     Aldehyde ammonia (Chem.), a compound formed by the union of
        aldehyde with ammonia.
        [1913 Webster]

formaldehyde - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  formaldehyde
      n 1: a colorless poisonous gas; made by the oxidation of
           methanol [syn: formaldehyde, methanal]