 metaldehyde is an organic compound with the formula (ch3cho)4. it is commonly used as a pesticide against slugs, snails, and other gastropods. it is the cyclic tetramer of acetaldehyde.marc eckert, gerald fleischmann, reinhard jira, hermann m. bolt, klaus golka "acetaldehyde" in ullmann's encyclopedia of industrial chemistry, 2006, wiley-vch, weinheim. . ==production and properties== metaldehyde is obtained in moderate yields by treatment of acetaldehyde with various acid catalysts, such as hydrogen bromide. the reaction is reversible, upon heating to about 80 Â°c, metaldehyde reverts to acetaldehyde. metaldehyde exists as a mixture of stereoisomers, molecules that differ with respect to the relative orientation of the methyl groups on the 8-membered ring. left|thumb|granules of metaldehyde (trade name limacide)  ==uses== ===as a pesticide=== it is sold under various trade names as a molluscicide, including antimilice, ariotox, blitzem (in australia), cekumeta, deadline, defender (in australia), halizan, limatox, limeol, meta, metason, mifaslug, namekil, slug fest colloidel 25, and slugit. typically it is applied in the form of slug pellets, which normally include a wheat bait. metaldehyde acts on the pest by contact or ingestion, and the aqueous environment inside the pest's cells readily hydrolyzes metaldehyde into acetaldehyde, the molecule associated with an alcohol hangover. ===other uses=== metaldehyde is also used as a camping fuel. it may be purchased in a tablet form to be used in small stoves, and for preheating of primus type stoves. it is sold
Acetals Molluscicides Oxygen_heterocycles