A colorless liquid chemical compound with a strong almond-like smell; the simplest aromatic aldehyde and a key building block in organic chemistry.
From 'benz-' (benzene, from benzoic acid, from benzoin gum) + '-al' (aldehyde) + '-dehyde' (from 'dehydrogenized alcohol'). The compound is benzene with one aldehyde group attached.
Benzaldehyde's almond smell is one of chemistry's great ironies—this pure industrial chemical is exactly what makes almonds smell like almonds, so the plant and the lab produce identical scents.
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