Glyoxal

Glyoxal is a chemical compound made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. It has the chemical formula C
2H
2O
2 or (CHO)
2. It is the simplest dicarbonyl, a type of chemical that has two C=O double bonds near each other.

Glyoxal reacts with starch and cellulose to form cross-links. Two important uses of glyoxal are to make paper that stays stronger when wet^[1] and fabric that does not wrinkle as easily.^[2]

Glyoxal is not usually made as a pure chemical, and is most commonly mixed with water.

Structure

Glyoxal has two carbon atoms connected by a single chemical bond. Each carbon also has a bond to one hydrogen and has a double bond with one oxygen, making a functional group (chemical shape which predicts how molecules act) called an aldehyde. Since glyoxal has two aldehydes, it is called a dialdehyde.

Because each aldehyde has only one possible link to the rest of the molecule, glyoxal is the only dialdehyde where the two aldehyde groups are right next to each other (a 1,2-dialdehyde).

References

↑ US patent 2622960A, Walter E Woods, Willard Allan Schenck, "Glyoxal treatment of absorbent paper to improve wet strength", published 1952-12-23, assigned to APW Products Company Inc.
↑ Welch, Clark M.; Forthright Danna, G. (1982). "Glyoxal as a Non-Nitrogenous Formaldehyde-Free Durable-Press Reagent for Cotton'". Textile Research Journal. 52 (2): 149–157. doi:10.1177/004051758205200209.

[1] US patent 2622960A, Walter E Woods, Willard Allan Schenck, "Glyoxal treatment of absorbent paper to improve wet strength", published 1952-12-23, assigned to APW Products Company Inc.

[2] Welch, Clark M.; Forthright Danna, G. (1982). "Glyoxal as a Non-Nitrogenous Formaldehyde-Free Durable-Press Reagent for Cotton'". Textile Research Journal. 52 (2): 149–157. doi:10.1177/004051758205200209.

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