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formaldehyde

File:Structural_formula_of_formaldehyde.svg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ161210· pop 73· linked from 2,038 articles

formaldehyde

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Also known as Formic aldehyde, Formaline, Fannoform, Chlodithane, Formalith, Methaldehyde, Formalina, Chlodithan

Formaldehyde ( , ) (systematic name methanal) is a pungent colorless gas mainly used in the production of industrial resins, such as for particle board, coatings, plastics, pulp, paper, synthetic fibers, and textiles. A ~5% solution in water of formaldehyde is used as a disinfectant and fumigant in industrial, agricultural, and healthcare settings, and a ~37% solution is used to preserve tissue samples in labs. In 2024, the global production of formaldehyde was estimated at 26 million tons per year, and is a precursor to many other materials and chemical compounds.

OverviewAI-generated

Formaldehyde is a chemical compound with the formula CH₂O. Its structure is represented by the canonical SMILES notation C=O. The substance has a molecular mass of 30.011 and a density of 0.8153. It possesses an electric dipole moment of 2.332 and an ionization energy of 10.88. The standard enthalpy of formation is recorded as -115.9.

The compound melts at -134 and -92, and boils at -6 and -19.1. Its vapor pressure is 1. Formaldehyde is flammable, with a lower flammable limit of 7 and an upper flammable limit of 73. Exposure limits include a time-weighted average of 0.92, a ceiling limit of 0.123, and a short-term limit of 2.46. The level immediately dangerous to life or health is 24.6. It has zero hydrogen bond donors and one acceptor.

Synthesized by Vinony from 32 facts across 4 sources: Wikidata, PubChem, PubMed, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Chemical data

Formula
CH2O
Molecular weight
30.026 g/mol
IUPAC name
formaldehyde
SMILES
C=O
InChIKey
WSFSSNUMVMOOMR-UHFFFAOYSA-N
XLogP
1.2
Polar surface area
17.1 Ų
H-bond donors
0
H-bond acceptors
1
Formal charge
0

via PubChem

Research

41,871 papers

via PubMed

~30 min read

Encyclopedic overview

36 sections
Contents
  • Forms
  • Structure and bonding
  • Occurrence
  • Atmospheric
  • Sources
  • Role in atmospheric chemistry
  • Remote monitoring
  • Environmental exposure
  • Interstellar formaldehyde
  • Synthesis and industrial production
  • Laboratory synthesis
  • Industry
  • Biochemistry
  • Organic chemistry
  • Polymerization and hydration
  • Cross-linking reactions
  • Oxidation and reduction
  • Hydroxymethylation and chloromethylation
  • Other reactions
  • Uses
  • Industrial applications
  • Niche uses
  • Disinfectant and biocide
  • Tissue fixative and embalming agent
  • Drug testing
  • Photography
  • Safety
  • Chronic inhalation
  • Acute irritation and allergic reaction
  • Other routes
  • Contaminant in food
  • Regulation
  • See also
  • References
  • Notes
  • External links

Formaldehyde ( , ) (systematic name methanal) is a pungent colorless gas mainly used in the production of industrial resins, such as for particle board, coatings, plastics, pulp, paper, synthetic fibers, and textiles. A ~5% solution in water of formaldehyde is used as a disinfectant and fumigant in industrial, agricultural, and healthcare settings, and a ~37% solution is used to preserve tissue samples in labs. In 2024, the global production of formaldehyde was estimated at 26 million tons per year, and is a precursor to many other materials and chemical compounds.

It is an organic compound with the chemical formula and structure . The gas spontaneously polymerizes into paraformaldehyde. It is stored as a ~37% aqueous solution known as formalin, which consists mainly of the hydrate . It is the simplest of the aldehydes ().

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “formaldehyde” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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