An impurity in benzyl alcohol was identified as benzaldehyde dibenzyl acetal (BDBA). The component BDBA is reversibly formed by the reaction of benzyl alcohol with benzaldehyde, an oxidative degradation product of benzyl alcohol. Whereas, BDBA is a known chemical entity, it is not typically controlled in commercial benzyl alcohol since it cannot be formed in the absence of benzaldehyde, which is itself generally controlled. However, once commercial benzyl alcohol is exposed to the atmosphere, formation of BDBA is possible. The synthesis and characterization of BDBA is reported. The ability of BDBA to react with alcohols to form other types of acetals, and the impact of low levels of BDBA on the quantitative analysis of pharmaceutical products, are considered.

中文翻译：

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关于苄醇的稳定性：在好氧条件下形成苯甲醛二苄基缩醛。

苯甲醇中的杂质被鉴定为苯甲醛二苄基乙缩醛（BDBA）。组分BDBA是通过苯甲醇与苯甲醛（苯甲醇的氧化降解产物）反应可逆形成的。鉴于BDBA是已知的化学实体，在商用苯甲醇中通常不受控制，因为它在缺乏苯甲醛的情况下无法形成，而苯甲醛本身通常是受控制的。但是，一旦将商业苯甲醇暴露在大气中，便可能形成BDBA。报道了BDBA的合成和表征。考虑了BDBA与醇反应形成其他类型的缩醛的能力，以及低含量的BDBA对药品定量分析的影响。