Product Details
Glyoxal is an organic compound with the chemical formula OCHCHO, composed of two aldehyde groups (–C=O–H). It is the simplest form of dialdehyde and appears as a yellow liquid at room temperature.
Chemical Properties
| Melting point | -14 °C |
| Boiling point | 104 °C |
| density | 1.265 g/mL at 25 °C |
| vapor density | >1 (vs air) |
| vapor pressure | 18 mm Hg ( 20 °C) |
| refractive index | n20/D 1.409 |
| Fp | 104°C |
| storage temp | 2-8°C |
| solubility | water: soluble(lit.) |
| form | Liquid |
| color | Clear colorless to yellow |
| Odor | yel. crystals or lt. yel. liq., mild odor |
| Water Solubility | miscible |
| Merck | 144,509 |
| BRN | 1732463 |
| Exposure limits | ACGIH: TWA 0.1 mg/m3 |
| Stability | Stability Combustible. Incompatible with strong oxidizing agents. Strong reducing agent. May polyermize exothermically. Incompatible with air, water, oxygen, peroxides, amides, amines, hydroxy-containing materials, nitric acid, aldehydes. Corrodes many metals. |
| InChIKey | LEQAOMBKQFMDFZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N |
| LogP | -1.15 at 20℃ |
| CAS DataBase Reference | 107-22-2(CAS DataBase Reference) |
| NIST Chemistry Reference | Ethanedial(107-22-2) |
| EPA Substance Registry System | Glyoxal (107-22-2) |
Safety Information
| Hazard Codes | Xn |
| Risk Statements | 20-36/38-43-68 |
| Safety Statements | 36/37 |
| RIDADR | UN 1760 |
| WGK Germany | 1 |
| RTECS | MD2700000 |
| Autoignition Temperature | 545 °F |
| TSCA | Yes |
| HS Code | 29121900 |
| Hazardous Substances Data | 107-22-2(Hazardous Substances Data) |
| Toxicity | LD50 in rats, guinea pigs (mg/kg): 2020, 760 orally (Smyth) |
Product Application
Glyoxal is primarily used in the textile industry as a fiber treatment agent to enhance the shrinkage resistance and wrinkle resistance of materials such as cotton and nylon. It acts as a durable press agent, with Japan accounting for 80% of its total consumption for this purpose. Additionally, glyoxal serves as an insoluble adhesive for substances including gelatin, animal glue, cheese, polyvinyl alcohol, and starch.
In the leather industry, glyoxal is also applied, and it is used in the production of waterproof matches. Glyoxal is a key raw material in organic synthesis processes—for example, reacting with acetaldehyde, urea, and formaldehyde to produce 2D-resin, which is used in fabric finishing.
Glyoxal can also react with formaldehyde and ammonium sulfate to form imidazole, which is subsequently used to synthesize antifungal drugs such as clotrimazole and miconazole. It is an important intermediate in the production of pyrazinamide (an anti-tuberculosis drug) and hydroxyphenylacetic acid (an intermediate for antibiotics and vitamin A products). Furthermore, glyoxal is used in the synthesis of berberine hydrochloride, sulfamethoxypyrazine (a sulfonamide drug), insecticides, deodorants, corpse preservatives, and sand mold curing agents.
