Propionaldehyde

Propionaldehyde, or propanal, is the three-carbon aldehyde CH₃CH₂CHO. It is a volatile, flammable liquid used chiefly as a chemical intermediate.

Carbonyl group: A functional group consisting of a carbon atom double-bonded to oxygen. The polarized carbonyl bond gives propionaldehyde its aldehyde reactivity.
Aldehyde: An organic compound containing a carbonyl group bonded to at least one hydrogen atom. Propionaldehyde is a member of this functional-group family.
Hydroformylation: A catalytic reaction that adds carbon monoxide and hydrogen across an alkene to produce an aldehyde. Hydroformylation of ethylene is a major route to propionaldehyde.
Acetone: The common name for propanone, a three-carbon ketone with the formula (CH₃)₂CO. It shares propionaldehyde’s carbon count and formula but is a ketone, not an aldehyde.
Nucleophilic addition: A reaction in which a nucleophile bonds to an electrophilic atom of a multiple bond, breaking one component of that bond. Nucleophiles attack propionaldehyde’s electrophilic carbonyl carbon.
Propanal: The IUPAC name for the three-carbon aldehyde CH₃CH₂CHO. This systematic name denotes the same compound as propionaldehyde.
1-Propanol: A primary alcohol with the structure CH₃CH₂CH₂OH. It is made by reducing propionaldehyde and used as a solvent and chemical feedstock.
Propylene oxide: A three-carbon cyclic ether with the formula C₃H₆O. It has the same molecular formula as propionaldehyde but a different structure and functional group.
Aldol reaction: A carbon–carbon bond-forming reaction of aldehydes or ketones bearing alpha hydrogens. Propionaldehyde can form an enolate and couple with another aldehyde molecule.
Acetaldehyde: The common name for ethanal, the two-carbon aldehyde CH₃CHO. It is the shorter aldehyde homolog immediately below propionaldehyde.

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