Dictionary
par•al•de•hyde
Pronunciation: (pu-ral'du-hīd"), [key]—
n. Chem., Pharm.
a colorless, liquid, cyclic compound, C
6H
12O
3, having a disagreeable taste but an agreeable odor, produced by the polymerization of acetaldehyde with sulfuric acid: used chiefly in the manufacture of organic chemicals and in medicine as a sedative and hypnotic. Also called
paracetaldehyde. Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.