Cannizzaro reaction

noun

Can·​niz·​za·​ro reaction

¦kanə¦zä(ˌ)rō-,

-nət¦sä-

: a reaction of aldehydes with caustic alkali in which one molecule of aldehyde is reduced to the corresponding alcohol and another molecule is oxidized to the salt of the corresponding acid

Word History

Etymology

after Stanislao Cannizzaro †1910 Italian chemist

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