pentanal pentanal pentanal (also called valeraldehyde) is the organic compound with molecular formula c4h9cho. classified as an alkyl aldehyde, it is a colorless volatile liquid. its odor is described as fermented, bready, fruity, nutty, berry. pentanal names preferred iupac name pentanal other names pentanaldehydevaleraldehydevaleric aldehyde identifiers cas number 110-62-3 y 3d model (jsmol) interactive image chebi chebi:84069 n chemspider 7772 n drugbank db01919 y echa infocard 100.003.442 pubchem cid 8063 unii b975s3014w y comptox dashboard (epa) dtxsid7021653 inchi inchi=1s/c5h10o/c1-2-3-4-5-6/h5h,2-4h2,1h3 nkey: hgboythueuwssq-uhfffaoysa-n ninchi=1/c5h10o/c1-2-3-4-5-6/h5h,2-4h2,1h3key: hgboythueuwssq-uhfffaoyaj smiles o=ccccc properties chemical formula c5h10o molar mass 86.134 g·mol−1 appearance clear liquid odor strong, acrid, pungent density 0.8095 at 20 °c melting point −60 °c (−76 °f; 213 k) boiling point 102 to 103 °c (216 to 217 °f; 375 to 376 k) solubility in water very slightly soluble vapor pressure 26 mmhg (20° c) hazards flash point 12 °c; 54 °f; 285 k niosh (us health exposure limits): pel (permissible) none rel (recommended) twa 50 ppm (175 mg/m3) idlh (immediate danger) n.d. related compounds related aldehydes butyraldehyde hexanal except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °c , 100 kpa). n verify (what is yn ?) infobox references production pentanal is obtained by hydroformylation of butene. also c4 mixtures can be used as starting material like the so-called raffinate ii, which is produced by steam cracking and contains (z)- and (e)-2-butene, 1-butene, butane and isobutane. the conversion to the product is accomplished with synthesis gas in the presence of a catalyst consisting of a rhodium-bisphosphite complex and a sterically hindered secondary amine with a selectivity toward pentanal of at least 90%. use pentanal undergoes the reactions characteristic of any alkyl aldehyde, i.e., oxidations, condensations, and reductions. 2-octanone, produced for use in the fragrance industry, is obtained by the condensation of acetone and pentanal, followed by hydrogenation of the alkene. 2-propyl-2-heptenal is obtained from pentanal by aldol condensation, which is hydrogenated to the saturated branched 2-propylheptanol. this alcohol serves as a starting material for the pvc plasticizer di-2-propylheptyl phthalate (dphp). pentanal (valeraldehyde) is oxidized to give valeric acid.