furfural

[ fur-fyuh-ral, -fuh- ]

noun

1. a colorless, oily liquid, C 5 H 4 O 2 , having an aromatic odor, obtained from bran, sugar, wood, corncobs, or the like, by distillation: used chiefly in the manufacture of plastics and as a solvent in the refining of lubricating oils.

furfural

/ fûr′fə-răl′ /

1. A colorless, sweet-smelling, liquid made from corncobs and used as a solvent in petroleum refining and as a fungicide and weed killer. It turns reddish brown when exposed to air and light. Furfural is an aldehyde of furan. Chemical formula: C 5 H 4 O 2 .

Word History and Origins

Origin of furfural¹

1875–80; < Latin furfur bran + -al ³

Example Sentences

In fact, says Strlič, the smell is due to the release of chemicals such as furfural and hexanol as the paper itself decays.

From The Guardian

The researchers made their ionic liquids using furfural, vanillin and p-anisaldehyde, which are aromatic aldehydes derived from lignin and cellulose.

From Scientific American

Congeners include acetaldehyde itself as well as acetone, fusel oil, furfural, methanol's metabolites, polyphenols, histamines, esters, tannins, amines and amides, among others.

From Scientific American

Brandy also contains a certain quantity of free acid, which increases with age, furfural, which decreases, and small quantities of other matters of which we have as yet little knowledge.

From Project Gutenberg

The actual production of furfural by boiling with condensing acids is a quantitative measure of only a portion, i.e. certain members of the group.

From Project Gutenberg