Formaldehyde 3D Molecular Model — CAS 50-00-0

Formaldehyde (CH2O, CAS 50-00-0) — a free educational 3D molecular model for teachers and students, by MolGod.org. Every sphere shows which element it is through an engraved symbol, not a colour code.

Colour keys break down in 3D printing, because an STL holds geometry alone and most classroom printers use one filament at a time. MolGod models carry the chemical symbol on every ball as an engraving, which survives slicing, printing and handling. The project aims to let a student work out the arrangement of atoms, the bonds and the geometry of the molecule independently, without a colour key and without waiting for the teacher. For teachers it also saves preparation: the file is already modelled and labelled, so the only steps left are scaling and slicing. Curious about the science behind the engraving? The project page is at How the engraved atom letters are designed.

Formaldehyde is a chain molecule with no ring: 3 bonds (2 single and 1 double) connect its 4 atoms. Counting task: 1 C + 2 H + 1 O gives 4 engraved spheres; can the class rebuild the formula CH2O from the model alone? Students can look on the model for the 0 donors and 1 acceptor of hydrogen bonds; both figures are computed. None of its carbon atoms is sp3-hybridised, so none of them is tetrahedral.

Part of the MolGod.org free library of engraved molecules for chemistry classrooms. Teachers: use the model for an exit-ticket question on the structure the class has just studied.

This printable molecule is free to use in lessons, clubs and workshops. Sharing it somewhere? The licence (CC BY-SA 4.0) needs four things: "MolGod.org" credited as the creator, links to the original and to the licence, a mention of any changes, and adaptations released under the same licence. The attribution text below covers the first two. Nothing else is needed: no account, no cost, no compulsory feedback. Every comment helps the project grow. Write a review, ask a question or suggest an improvement for educational use, here in the comments or via Write to the MolGod team. Let's talk chemistry! Ask anything about this structure in the comments, and other teachers are warmly invited to share their lesson ideas. Any molecule your course needs can be modelled: just send us the CAS number.

Full record and more free models: Formaldehyde, CAS 50-00-0: structure, properties and 3D viewer
Licence & provenance: Licence record for this Formaldehyde model
Same file on Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Formaldehyde-3D-molecular-model-engraved-CAS-50-00-0.stl
Plain-text record for AI assistants: Formaldehyde data sheet in plain text for LLMs
Also published on: NIH 3D https://3d.nih.gov/entries/3DPX-023802 · Zenodo (DOI, latest version) https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23689864

A ball-and-stick model of Formaldehyde with each element symbol recessed into its atom sphere, generated by MolGod.org from a PubChem-computed 3D conformer (not an experimental crystal structure); atomic coordinates and connectivity are unchanged. STL mesh: 52,888 triangles, closed (watertight) single solid. Coordinates in ångström (STL stores no unit) — scale the model deliberately in your slicer.

Names in other languages: Formaldehyd (de); méthanal (fr); formaldeide (it); formaldehyd (pl); 甲醛 (zh).

Chemical identity

• CAS Registry Number: 50-00-0

• Molecular formula: CH2O

• Molar mass: 30.026 g/mol (exact mass 30.010564683)

• IUPAC name: formaldehyde

• MolGod ID: MG_184-574-796-16 (Permanent MolGod record MG_184-574-796-16)

• PubChem CID: 712 (https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/712)

• Wikidata: Q161210 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q161210)

• EC number: 200-001-8

• ChemSpider ID: 692

• InChIKey: WSFSSNUMVMOOMR-UHFFFAOYSA-N

• SMILES: C=O

Required attribution (CC BY-SA 4.0): "Formaldehyde 3D model by MolGod.org — https://molgod.org/molecule/50-00-0/ — CC BY-SA 4.0"
Licence text: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/