Glyoxal
Glyoxal is a widely used ingredient in cosmetics, personal care, and skincare formulations. Depending on its function, it may serve as a moisturizer, preservative, emulsifier, or active ingredient to enhance the overall effectiveness and performance of a product.
Glyoxal is an organic compound with the chemical formula OCHCHO. It is the smallest dialdehyde (a compound with two aldehyde groups). It is a crystalline solid, white at low temperatures and yellow near the melting point (15 °C). The liquid is yellow, and the vapor is green.
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| Names | |||
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| Preferred IUPAC name
Oxaldehyde | |||
| Systematic IUPAC name
Ethanedial | |||
| Other names
Glyoxal
Glyoxaldehyde Oxalaldehyde Ethanedialdehyde | |||
| Identifiers | |||
3D model (JSmol)
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| ChEBI | |||
| ChemSpider | |||
| ECHA InfoCard | 100.003.160 | ||
| KEGG | |||
PubChem CID
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| UNII | |||
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)
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| Properties | |||
| C2H2O2 | |||
| Molar mass | 58.036 g·mol−1 | ||
| Melting point | 15 °C (59 °F; 288 K) | ||
| Boiling point | 51 °C (124 °F; 324 K) | ||
| Thermochemistry | |||
Heat capacity (C)
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1.044 J/(K·g) | ||
| Hazards | |||
| NFPA 704 (fire diamond) | |||
| Flash point | −4 °C (25 °F; 269 K) | ||
| 285 °C (545 °F; 558 K) | |||
| Related compounds | |||
Related aldehydes
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acetaldehyde glycolaldehyde propanedial methylglyoxal | ||
Related compounds
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glyoxylic acid glycolic acid oxalic acid pyruvic acid diacetyl acetylacetone | ||
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Pure glyoxal is not commonly encountered because glyoxal is usually handled as a 40% aqueous solution (density near 1.24 g/mL). It forms a series of hydrates, including oligomers. For many purposes, these hydrated oligomers behave equivalently to glyoxal. Glyoxal is produced industrially as a precursor to many products.
