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Glite Dictionary
propanal

propanal

8.7
A colorless liquid people use to make plastics and to kill germs
  • noun
  • /ˈproʊpəˌnæl/
  • Specialized
: propanal
  • Propanal is used in the production of plastics and other chemicals.

Examples

  • Exposure to propanal vapors should be minimized due to its irritant properties.

  • The chemist used propanal in her latest experiment.

  • The laboratory ordered more propanal for the next set of experiments.

  • Is propanal safe to use as a disinfectant?

  • In laboratories, propanal is commonly used as a solvent in organic synthesis.

  • The chemical propanal has applications in fragrances and flavorings.

  • Before starting the experiment, the students carefully measured out propanal.

Synonyms

propionaldehyde
vspropanal
  • Specialized
9.9

A clear liquid that can catch fire and is used to make plastics and medicines

is used mainly as a disinfectant and also in organic synthesis

Surface Forms

propanal singular
propanals plural

Morphology

propanal = propane (semi-transparent) = propan + al

The word is built from the chemical stem of 'propane' plus the aldehyde-forming suffix '-al', but the spelling reduction and specialized chemical naming make it only partly transparent to general learners.

Etymology

Propanal comes from propane, which means 'a three-carbon compound', and the ending -al, which means 'an aldehyde' or 'a certain kind of chemical'. So propanal is the 'aldehyde' form of propane, which helps explain why it is a small three-carbon liquid used in chemistry and labs.