Aldehyde

Any member of a class of organic compounds that contain the carbonyl group (in which a carbon atom is doubly bonded to an oxygen atom), and in which the group is bonded to at least one hydrogen. With the exception of formaldehyde, a gas, aldehydes are acrid, volatile liquids. Their chief use is as chemical intermediates in polymer production for manufacture of solvents, dyes, resins, plasticizers, and pharmaceuticals.