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Chemistry LibreTexts

Nomenclature of Anhydrides

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The acid anhydride functional group results when two carboxylic acids combine and lose water (anhydride = without water). Symmetrical acid anhydrides are named like carboxylic acids except the ending -acid is replaced with -anhydride. This is true for both the IUPAC and Common nomenclature.

Symmetrical anhydrides

Nomen1.jpg

Unsymmetrical acid anhydrides

Unsymmetrical acid anhydrides are named by first naming each component carboxylic acid alphabetically arranged (without the word acid) followed by spaces and then the word anhydride.

Nomen2.jpg

anhydridenomenclature1.gif

propanoic anhydride

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ethanoic propanoic anhydride

Try to name the following compound

J

Try to draw a structure for the following compound�

  • 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic anhydride J

Common names that you should know

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acetic anhydride (Try to name this anhydride by the proper name. J )

anhydridenomenclature4.gif

succinic anhydride (Try to name this anhydride by the proper name. J )

Contributors

Prof. Steven Farmer (Sonoma State University)

Richard Banks (Boise State University)


Nomenclature of Anhydrides is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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