Meaning & use
methanal
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Meaning
noununcountablechemistrytechnical
The official chemical name for formaldehyde, a colorless gas with a sharp smell that is dissolved in water to preserve specimens and used to make resins.
Grammar: Uncountable: exposure to methanal; no plural in normal use.
Patterns
- exposure to methanal
- a solution of methanal
Chemistry students learn that methanal is the simplest aldehyde, with just one carbon atom.
Workers wore masks because methanal vapor irritates the eyes and throat.
The label lists methanal as one ingredient used in the manufacture of the resin.
Common combinations
- methanal solution
- The specimen was stored in a methanal solution.
- exposure to methanal
- Long exposure to methanal can irritate the lungs.
- methanal gas
- Methanal gas has a sharp, suffocating smell.
- methanal-based resin
- The cabinet was made of board glued with a methanal-based resin.
- oxidize methanol to methanal
- The reaction oxidizes methanol to methanal.
Synonyms and how they differ
- formaldehyde
- It is the older and far more common name for the same compound, so use it for everyday and industrial talk.
- formalin
- It names a water solution of the gas used to preserve specimens, rather than the pure gas.
- HCHO
- It is the chemical formula and appears in equations, not in running prose.
Word family
- methane noun
- a simple gas with one carbon atom and four hydrogens
- methanol noun
- a toxic alcohol with one carbon atom
- methyl noun
- a chemical group containing one carbon and three hydrogens
- aldehyde noun
- a type of organic compound that includes methanal
Commonly confused: methanal or methanol? methanal or methane?
methanal vs methanol
Methanol is an alcohol, a liquid used as a fuel and solvent, while methanal is the aldehyde gas better known as formaldehyde.
methanal vs methane
Methane is the main gas in natural gas, whereas methanal is a pungent preservative chemical.
Practice
A chemistry textbook calls a gas 'methanal'. What is the more common everyday name?
Choose one answer.
Methanal is the systematic name for formaldehyde. Methane is a different gas, and it looks similar on paper, so it is the tempting mistake.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “methanal”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.