Formaldehyde

Definitions

The simplest aldehyde, HCHO, a colourless gas that has many industrial applications; it dissolves in water to give formol (10%) and formalin.

countable, uncountable

Equivalents

Examples

“The shark chosen to replace⟳ the original was injected with 224 gallons of formaldehyde, ten times the amount used on the first shark and in a stronger concentration.”

“Back in 2006, Hirst found himself at the centre of a different debate⟳ arising out of the need⟳ to refurbish or update⟳ formaldehyde pieces that are prone to decay. It related to the piece that made him famous: the formaldehyde shark The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind⟳ of Someone Living (1991), which had been bought by the US hedge fund billionaire Steve Cohen for $8m.”

CEFR level