Acetaldehyde
Overview
Acetaldehyde is a volatile organic compound and one of the simplest aldehydes known to terrestrial chemistry. In the Continuum Universes, it is also a naturally occurring atmospheric component on Miasmarion-type worlds, where anaerobic decay and biogenic fermentation vent it into the air. Its characteristic sweet-pungent scent is often described by exobiologists as the “odor of ripening death.”
Properties
Chemically, acetaldehyde consists of a carbonyl carbon bound to a methyl group and a hydrogen atom. It readily polymerizes and oxidizes to Acetic Acid in the presence of oxygen, contributing to acidic rain in humid environments. At moderate pressures it remains gaseous; condensation forms a volatile liquid layer over decaying biomass. Biologically, it acts as a neural irritant and metabolic toxin—its buildup in humanoid physiology causes the malaise known as “ethanol afterburn.”
Uses and Occurrences
On industrial worlds, acetaldehyde is an important precursor for Acetic Acid, Butanol, and various organic syntheses. Psionic chemists within the Continuum occasionally exploit its low-energy resonance with dream-state neural oscillations, using trace vapor in controlled Lucidmist Atmosphere environments to stabilize dreamlink transitions.
Related Atmospheres
Trivia
- Early Continuum explorers nicknamed acetaldehyde “The Hangover Gas.”
- Trace acetaldehyde fluorescence under ultraviolet aurora has been used to map decay zones on fungal planets.