paraformaldehyde

American  

[par-uh-fawr-mal-duh-hahyd, -fer-] / ˌpær ə fɔrˈmæl dəˌhaɪd, -fər- /

noun

Chemistry.

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.

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paraformaldehyde British  

/ ˌpærəfɔːˈmældɪˌhaɪd /

noun

1. a white amorphous solid polymeric form of formaldehyde: used as a convenient source of formaldehyde and as a fumigant. Formula: (CH 2 O) n , where n lies between 6 and 50

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Etymology

Origin of paraformaldehyde

First recorded in 1930–35; para- ¹ + formaldehyde

Compare meaning

How does paraformaldehyde compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• paraformaldehyde vs. formaldehyde

Example Sentences

And she showed that the paraformaldehyde used to prepare samples for standard microscopy introduces its own artifacts: Applying it causes the pearls to disappear.

From Science Magazine • Dec. 2, 2024

Four days later the cultivated embryos were preserved in paraformaldehyde and shipped back to Earth, where a team led by molecular biologist Teruhiko Wakayama of the University of Yamanashi studied the results.

From Salon • Oct. 30, 2023

Over time, paraformaldehyde forms bonds between the components that make up neurons, turning the cells into a gel, says neuroscientist María Llorens-Martín of the Severo Ochoa Molecular Biology Center in Madrid.

From Science Magazine • Mar. 25, 2019

Embryos and cells were fixed with 4% paraformaldehyde in PBS for 1 h and overnight, respectively, at 4 °C and immunofluorescently analysed as described previously2.

From Nature • Sep. 19, 2017

In addition to formaldehyde, paraformaldehyde, trioxymethylene, methylal, hexamethylene-tetramine, and other substances containing a reactive methylene group, as well as acetaldehyde, benzaldehyde and other aldehydes may be employed to induce reaction.

From Synthetic Tannins by Grasser, Georg