DEFINITION of Formalinaformaldehidoel formaldehyde or methanal is a chemical compound, more specifically a highly volatile and highly flammable, aldehyde of formula H2C = O. It is obtained by Catalytic oxidation of methyl alcohol. In normal conditions of temperature and pressure is a colorless gas, a penetrating, very soluble in water and esters smell. The aqueous solutions to the ~ 40% are known with the name of formaldehyde, which is a colorless liquid of pungent, suffocating odor; These solutions may contain methyl alcohol as stabilizer. It can be compressed to liquid state; its boiling point is - 21 ° C. It has many names; its traditional name comes from formica, the Latin word for "Ant"; its name according to the IUPAC systematic nomenclature is metanal.
