Skip to main content
Chemistry LibreTexts

Nomenclature of Anhydrides

  • Page ID
    26168
  • \( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)\(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

    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

    anhydridenomenclature2.gif

    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

    anhydridenomenclature5.gif

    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.

    • Was this article helpful?