Acetaldehyde

Acetaldehyde (systematically ethanal) is an organic chemical compound with the formula CH3 CHO, sometimes abbreviated by chemists as MeCHO (Me = methyl). It is one of the most important aldehydes, occurring widely in nature and being produced on a large scale industrially. Acetaldehyde occurs naturally in coffee, bread, and ripe fruit, and is produced by plants as part of their normal metabolism. It is also produced by oxidation of ethylene and is the cause of hangovers from alcohol consumption, synthesized in the liver by the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase. Pathways of exposure include air, water, land or groundwater as well as drink and smoke. Consumption of disulfiram inhibits acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, the enzyme responsible for the metabolism of acetaldehyde, therefore causing it to build up in the body.