paraformaldehyde

[ par-uh-fawr-mal-duh-hahyd, -fer- ]

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.

paraformaldehyde

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of paraformaldehyde¹

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

Example Sentences

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

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

Last year’s Nature study, for example, looked for new neurons in 59 samples of human brain tissue, some of which came from brain banks where samples are often immersed in the fixative paraformaldehyde for months or even years.

From Science Magazine

The number of cells that test positive for DCX in brain tissue declines sharply after just 48 hours in a paraformaldehyde bath, Llorens-Martín and her colleagues report today in Nature Medicine.

From Science Magazine

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