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anhydride

 
(ăn-hī'drīd') pronunciation
n.
A chemical compound formed from another, often an acid, by the removal of water.

[ANHYDR(OUS) + -IDE.]


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A compound that produces a given compound on reaction with water. For instance, sulphur trioxide is the (acid) anhydride of sulphuric acid

SO3+H2O → H2SO4
See also acid anhydrides.




Any chemical compound obtained, either in practice or in principle, by eliminating water (H2O) from another compound. Examples of inorganic anhydrides are sulfur trioxide, SO3, which is derived from sulfuric acid, H2SO4, and calcium oxide, CaO, which is derived from calcium hydroxide Ca(OH)2. The most important organic anhydride is acetic anhydride, (CH3CO)2O, a raw material for making cellulose acetate (used for films, fibres, and plastic goods) and aspirin. It can be thought of as acetic acid minus water. Organic anhydrides are very important starting materials for organic synthesis, as they can give rise to carboxylic acids, esters, or amides under the proper conditions.

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Columbia Encyclopedia:

anhydride

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anhydride (ănhī'drīd, -drĭd) [Gr.,=without water], chemical compound formed by removing water, H2O, from another compound; the anhydride can also react with water to form the original compound. An acid anhydride reacts with water to form an acid; e.g., sulfur trioxide, SO3, reacts with water to form sulfuric acid, H2SO4. A basic anhydride reacts with water to form a base; e.g., calcium oxide, CaO, reacts with water to form calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2. Anhydrides of organic acids have many uses. They react with alcohols to form esters; e.g., acetic anhydride, (CH3CO)2O, reacts with ethanol, C2H5OH, to form ethyl acetate, CH3COOC2H5, a useful solvent. They also react with ammonia and primary or secondary amines to form amides. Other important acid anhydrides include maleic anhydride and phthalic anhydride.



a derivative of a substance that yields the substance when combined chemically with water.

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A compound derived from an acid by removal of a molecule of water.

 
 
Related topics:
mezereinic acid
lactone
lactide

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Copyrights:

American Heritage Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Oxford Dictionary of Chemistry. A Dictionary of Chemistry. Sixth Edition. Copyright © Market House Books Ltd, 2008. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 1994-2012 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/ Read more
 Oxford Dictionary of Biochemistry. Oxford University Press. Oxford Dictionary of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology © 1997, 2000, 2006 All rights reserved.  Read more
Saunders Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved.  Read more

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