generation of butyraldehyde by hydroformylation of propene: H2 + CO + CH3CH=CH2 -> CH3CH2CH2CHO Oxidative routes Aldehydes are commonly generated by alcohol oxidation. In industry, formaldehyde is produced on a large scale by oxidation of methanol. Oxygen is the reagent of choice, being "green" and cheap. In the laboratory, more specialized oxidizing agents are used, but chromium(VI) reagents are popular. Oxidation can be achieved by heating the alcohol with an acidified solution of potassium dichromate. In this case, excess dichromate will further oxidize the aldehyde to a carboxylic acid, so either the aldehyde is distilled out as it forms (if volatile) or milder reagents such as PCC are used. [O] + CH3(CH2)9OH -> CH3(CH2)8CHO + H2O Oxidation of primary alcohols to form aldehydes can be achieved under milder, chromium-free conditions by employing methods or reagents such as IBX acid, Dess–Martin periodinane, Swern oxidation, TEMPO,. Another oxidation route significant in industry is the Wacker process, whereby ethylene is oxidized to acetaldehyde in the presence of copper and palladium catalysts (acetaldehyde is also produced on a large scale by the hydration of acetylene). On the laboratory scale, α-hydroxy acids are used as precursors to prepare aldehydes via oxidative cleavage. Specialty methods Common reactions Aldehydes participate in many reactions. From the industrial perspective, important reactions are (a) condensations, e.g., to prepare plasticizers and polyols, and (b) reduction to produce alcohols, especially "oxo-alcohols". From the biological perspective, the key reactions involve addition of nucleophiles to the formyl carbon in the formation of imines (oxidative deamination) and hemiacetals (structures of aldose sugars). Acid-base reactions Because of resonance stabilization of the conjugate base, an α-hydrogen in an aldehyde is weakly acidic, with a pKa near 17. This acidification is attributed to (i) the electron-withdrawing quality of the formyl center and (ii) the fact that the conjugate base, an enolate anion, delocalizes its negative charge. The formyl proton itself does not readily undergo deprotonation. Enolization Aldehydes (except those without an alpha carbon, or without protons on the alpha carbon, such as formaldehyde and benzaldehyde) can exist in either the keto or the enol tautomer. Keto–enol tautomerism is catalyzed by either acid or base. Usually the enol is the minority tautomer, but it is more reactive. The enolization typically reverses several times per second. Reduction The formyl group can be readily reduced to a primary alcohol (). Typically this conversion is accomplished by catalytic hydrogenation either directly or