Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A colorless, flammable liquid, C2H4O, used to manufacture acetic acid, perfumes, and drugs.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The aldehyde CH3CHO, formed by the oxidation of common or ethyl alcohol. It boils at 21° C., and has a disagreeable penetrating odor.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun Acetic aldehyde. See aldehyde.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun organic chemistry An organic compound (CH3CHO). Sometimes called ethanal or acetic aldehyde. See aldehyde.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a colorless volatile water-soluble liquid aldehyde used chiefly in the manufacture of acetic acid and perfumes and drugs

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From acetic + aldehyde.

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Examples

  • It is a dangerous combination because the mixing of these two entities causes the conversion of alcohol to acetaldehyde, which is poisonous and can land the patient in the hospital.

    Chemistry Is Essential to Doctors 2008

  • It turns out that when the fruits are deprived of oxygen, they shift their metabolism in a way that results in the accumulation of an alcohol derivative called acetaldehyde, and this substance binds with tannins in the cells, thus preempting them from binding to our tongues.

    On Food and Cooking, The Science and Lore of the Kitchen Harold McGee 2004

  • It turns out that when the fruits are deprived of oxygen, they shift their metabolism in a way that results in the accumulation of an alcohol derivative called acetaldehyde, and this substance binds with tannins in the cells, thus preempting them from binding to our tongues.

    On Food and Cooking, The Science and Lore of the Kitchen Harold McGee 2004

  • A by-product of this complex metabolic process is a toxin called acetaldehyde.

    DR. SANJIV CHOPRA’S LIVER BOOK Sanjiv Chopra 2001

  • In its attempts to clear this chemical from the body, the liver creates a substance called acetaldehyde.

    DR. SANJIV CHOPRA’S LIVER BOOK Sanjiv Chopra 2001

  • The final conversion is carried out by a natural enzyme called acetaldehyde dehydrogenase.

    Alcohol and The Addictive Brain Kenneth Blum 1991

  • The final conversion is carried out by a natural enzyme called acetaldehyde dehydrogenase.

    Alcohol and The Addictive Brain Kenneth Blum 1991

  • Ethanol has also been used to produce acetaldehyde, which is a precursor for acetic acid, acetic anhydride, butanol,

    1 Production and Use 1983

  • If heavy drinking is a cause of stomach cancer, it may be related to one of the metabolic byproducts of alcohol -- called acetaldehyde.

    Yahoo! News: Business - Opinion 2011

  • A 2009 study in the U.K. concluded that acetaldehyde, which is present in both marijuana and tobacco smoke, can cause DNA damage "with the possibility to initiate cancer development."

    TIME.com: Top Stories 2010

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