Main-Product

Acetaldehyde is an organic chemical compound with the formula CH₃ CHO, sometimes abbreviated as MeCHO. It is a colorless liquid or gas, boiling near room temperature. It is one of the most important aldehydes, occurring widely in nature and being produced on a large scale in industry.

The main method of production is the oxidation of Ethylene by the Wacker process, which involves oxidation of ethylene using a homogeneous palladium/copper catalyst system:

2 CH₂ = CH₂ + O₂ ⟶ 2 CH₃CHO

Smaller quantities can be prepared by the partial oxidation of Ethanol in an exothermic reaction. This process typically is conducted over a silver catalyst at about 500–650 °C.

CH₃CH₂OH + ½ O₂ ⟶ CH₃CHO + H₂O

This method is one of the oldest routes for the industrial preparation of acetaldehyde.

Source: Wikipedia, Acetaldehyde

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