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phthalic anhydride

American  

noun

Chemistry.
  1. a white, crystalline, slightly water-soluble solid, C 8 H 4 O 3 , used chiefly in the manufacture of dyes, alkyd resins, and plasticizers.


phthalic anhydride British  

noun

  1. a white crystalline substance used mainly in producing dyestuffs. Formula: C 6 H 4 (CO) 2 O

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

phthalic anhydride Scientific  
  1. A white crystalline compound prepared by oxidizing naphthalene and used in the manufacture of phthaleins and other dyes, resins, plasticizers, and insecticides. Chemical formula: C 8 H 4 O 3 .


Etymology

Origin of phthalic anhydride

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It is prepared by heating gallic acid with benzoic and sulphuric acids, or with phthalic anhydride and zinc chloride, and is a brown dye known as “anthragallol” or “anthracene-brown.”

From Coal and What We Get from It by Meldola, Raphael

The phthaleïn formed from gallic acid and phthalic anhydride really results from the union of the latter with pyrogallol.

From Coal and What We Get from It by Meldola, Raphael

A notable example is provided by the phthaleins, which result by the condensation of phthalic anhydride with phenols.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 1 "Châtelet" to "Chicago" by Various

Phthalimide may also be made by using 500 g. of phthalic anhydride and 500 g. of ammonium carbonate which has been previously ground in a mortar.

From Organic Syntheses by Conant, James Bryant

Baeyer, the eminent chemist who subsequently synthesised indigo, published the first of a series of investigations describing the compounds produced by heating phthalic anhydride with phenols.

From Coal and What We Get from It by Meldola, Raphael