What is "acetaldehyde"

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.

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.

   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.

   Aldehyde ammonia (Chem.), a compound formed by the union of aldehyde with ammonia.

n. (context organic compound English) An organic compound (CH₃CHO). Sometimes called ethanal or acetic aldehyde. See aldehyde.

n. a colorless volatile water-soluble liquid aldehyde used chiefly in manufacture of acetic acid and perfumes and drugs [syn: ethanal]

Acetaldehyde (systematic name ethanal) is an organic chemical compound with the formula CH CHO, sometimes abbreviated by chemists as MeCHO (Me = methyl). It is one of the most important aldehydes, occurring widely in nature and being produced on a large scale in industry. Acetaldehyde occurs naturally in coffee, bread, and ripe fruit, and is produced by plants. It is also produced by the partial oxidation of ethanol by the liver enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase and may be a contributing factor to hangovers from alcohol consumption. Pathways of exposure include air, water, land, or groundwater, as well as drink and smoke. Consumption of disulfiram inhibits acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, the enzyme responsible for the metabolism of acetaldehyde, thereby causing it to build up in the body.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has listed acetaldehyde as a Group 1 carcinogen. Acetaldehyde is "one of the most frequently found air toxics with cancer risk greater than one in a million."

This page provides supplementary chemical data on acetaldehyde.