BACK TO paraformaldehyde

paraformaldehyde vs. formaldehyde

paraformaldehyde

[ par-uh-fawr-mal-duh-hahyd, -fer- ]
noun
  1. a white, crystalline polymer of formaldehyde, (HCOH)n, from which it is obtained by evaporation of the aqueous solution: used chiefly as an antiseptic.

formaldehyde

[ fawr-mal-duh-hahyd, fer- ]
noun
  1. a colorless, toxic, potentially carcinogenic, water-soluble gas, CH2O, having a suffocating odor, usually derived from methyl alcohol by oxidation: used chiefly in aqueous solution, as a disinfectant and preservative, and in the manufacture of various resins and plastics.