Metabolite Card

Formula: CH2O (30.0106)
SMILES: C=O

Synonyms [en]

formaldehyde; methanal; formalin; Methylene oxide; Oxomethane; Formaldehyd

Reviewed

Last reviewed on 2024-06-28.

Cite this Page

Formaldehyde. 数据之源,洞见之始. SMRUCC genomics institute, a synthetic life researcher from China. https://biocad_registry.innovation.ac.cn/s/(-)-arctiin (retrieved 2026-01-03) (CAD Registry RN: BioCAD00000011195). Licensed under the Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).

Note

Formaldehyde is a highly reactive aldehyde gas formed by oxidation or incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons. In solution, it has a wide range of uses: in the manufacture of resins and textiles, as a disinfectant, and as a laboratory fixative or preservative. Formaldehyde solution (formalin) is considered a hazardous compound, and its vapor toxic. (From Reynolds, Martindale The Extra Pharmacopoeia, 30th ed, p717) -- Pubchem; The chemical compound formaldehyde (also known as methanal), is a gas with a pungent smell. It is the simplest aldehyde. Its chemical formula is H2CO. Formaldehyde was first synthesized by the Russian chemist Aleksandr Butlerov in 1859 but was conclusively identified by August Wilhelm van Hofmann in 1867. Although formaldehyde is a gas at room temperature, it is readily soluble in water, and it is most commonly sold as a 37% solution in water called by trade names such as formalin or formol. In water, formaldehyde polymerizes, and formalin actually contains very little formaldehyde in the form of H2CO monomer. Usually, these solutions contain a few percent methanol to limit the extent of polymerization. Formaldehyde exhibits most of the general chemical properties of the aldehydes, except that is generally more reactive than other aldehydes. Formaldehyde is a potent electrophile. It can participate in electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions with aromatic compounds and can undergo electrophilic addition reactions with alkenes. In the presence of basic catalysts, formaldehyde undergoes a Cannizaro reaction to produce formic acid and methanol. Because formaldehyde resins are used in many construction materials, including plywood, carpet, and spray-on insulating foams, and because these resins slowly give off formaldehyde over time, formaldehyde is one of the more common indoor air pollutants. At concentrations above 0.1 mg/kg in air, inhaled formaldehyde can irritate the eyes and mucous membranes, resulting in watery eyes, headache, a burning sensation in the throat, and difficulty breathing. -- Wikipedia.

Entity Information

DBLinks

Other DBLinks
  • CAS Registry Number: 17030-74-9
  • CAS Registry Number: 30525-89-4
  • CAS Registry Number: 35907-63-2
  • CAS Registry Number: 50-00-0
  • CAS Registry Number: 53026-80-5
  • CAS Registry Number: 8013-13-6
  • PubChem: 712
  • ChEBI: ChEBI:16842
  • HMDB: HMDB0001426
  • KEGG: C00067
  • BioCyc: FORMALDEHYDE
  • NCBI MeSH: Formaldehyde
  • Wikipedia: Formaldehyde
  • DrugBank: DB03843
  • RefMet: RM0156868
  • Coconut NaturalProduct: CNP0577301.0

Class / Ontology

Metabolic Network
ID EC Number Name
KEGG:R00602 1.11.1.6 methanol:hydrogen-peroxide oxidoreductase
KEGG:R00603 4.5.1.3 dichloromethane chloride-lyase (adding H2O; chloride-hydrolysing; formaldehyde-forming)
KEGG:R00604 1.2.1.46 formaldehyde:NAD+ oxidoreductase
KEGG:R00605 1.1.1.244 methanol:NAD+ oxidoreductase
KEGG:R00606 1.4.9.1 methylamine:amicyanin oxidoreductase (deaminating)
KEGG:R00608 1.1.3.13 methanol:oxygen oxidereductase
KEGG:R00609 1.5.99.5 N-methyl-L-glutamate:acceptor oxidoreductase (demethylating)
KEGG:R00610 1.5.3.1 sarcosine:oxygen oxidoreductase (demethylating)
KEGG:R00612 1.5.3.4 N6-methyl-L-lysine:oxygen oxidoreductase (demethylating)
KEGG:R00614 1.2.98.1 formaldehyde:formaldehyde oxidoreductase
KEGG:R01014 4.1.2.2 erythrulose-1-phosphate formaldehyde-lyase (glycerone-phosphate-forming)
KEGG:R01146 1.1.2.7 methanol:ferricytochrome-c oxidoreductase;
KEGG:R01216 2.1.2.11 2-dehydropantoate formaldehyde-lyase (3-methyl-2-oxobutanoate-forming)
KEGG:R01264 1.5.3.2 N-methyl-L-amino-acid:oxygen oxidoreductase (demethylating)
KEGG:R01306 1.14.99.15 4-methoxybenzoate,hydrogen-donor:oxygen oxidoreductase (O-demethylating)
KEGG:R01440 2.2.1.3 D-xylulose-5-phosphate:formaldehyde glycolaldehydetransferase
KEGG:R01588 1.5.8.1 dimethylamine:electron-transferring flavoprotein oxidoreductase
KEGG:R01851 1.8.3.4 methanethiol:oxygen oxidoreductase
KEGG:R02511 1.5.8.2 trimethylamine:electron-transferring flavoprotein oxidoreductase(demethylating)
KEGG:R02512 4.1.2.32 trimethylamine-N-oxide formaldehyde-lyase
View More
Organism Source

Taxonomy Source

  1. Achillea millefolium [ncbi taxid: 13329]
  2. Arctium lappa [ncbi taxid: 4217]
  3. Escherichia coli [ncbi taxid: 562]
  4. Homo sapiens [ncbi taxid: 9606]
  5. Mus musculus [ncbi taxid: 10090]
  6. Saccharomyces cerevisiae [ncbi taxid: 4932]

Pathway Synthetic

pathway id name
BioCyc:HUMAN_PWY66-401 superpathway of tryptophan utilization
BioCyc:HUMAN_PWY-6402 superpathway of melatonin degradation
BioCyc:META_PWY-5506 methanol oxidation to formaldehyde IV
BioCyc:META_PWY-6509 methanol oxidation to formaldehyde III
BioCyc:META_PWY-6510 methanol oxidation to formaldehyde II
BioCyc:META_PWY-7955 paerucumarin biosynthesis
BioCyc:META_P561-PWY proline betaine degradation
BioCyc:META_PWY-6418 4-hydroxycoumarin and dicoumarol biosynthesis
BioCyc:META_PWY66-201 nicotine degradation IV
BioCyc:META_P185-PWY formaldehyde assimilation III (dihydroxyacetone cycle)
BioCyc:META_PWY-6059 dimethyl sulfide degradation II (oxidation)
BioCyc:META_PWY-1801 formaldehyde oxidation II (glutathione-dependent)
BioCyc:META_PWY-7908 formaldehyde oxidation V (bacillithiol-dependent)
BioCyc:META_CRNFORCAT-PWY creatinine degradation I
BioCyc:META_PWYQT-4476 indole glucosinolate activation (herbivore attack)
BioCyc:META_PWY-5846 colchicine biosynthesis
BioCyc:ARA_PWY-1801 formaldehyde oxidation II (glutathione-dependent)
BioCyc:TRYPANO_PWY-1861 formaldehyde assimilation II (RuMP Cycle)
BioCyc:PLASMO_PWY-1861 formaldehyde assimilation II (RuMP Cycle)
BioCyc:PLASMO_RUMP-PWY formaldehyde oxidation I
View All Pathways