Phthalic Anhydride(PA)

Phthalic anhydride is the organic compound with the formula C6H4(CO)2O. This anhydride of phthalic acid, a colourless solid, is an important industrial chemical, especially for the large-scale production of plasticizers for plastics. In 2002, approximately 4.6 billion kilograms were produced Applications in industry and organic synthesis Phthalic anhydride is a versatile intermediate in organic chemistry, in part because it is bifunctional and cheaply available. It undergoes hydrolysis and alcoholysis. Hydrolysis by hot water forms ortho-phthalic acid. This process is reversible: Phthalic anhydride re-forms upon heating the acid above 180 °C. Hydrolysis of anhydrides is not typically a reversible process. However, phthalic acid is easily dehydrated to form phthalic anhydride due to the creation of a thermodynamically favorable 5-membered ring. Organic synthesis Phthalic anhydride is a precursor to a variety of reagents useful in organic synthesis. Important derivatives include phthalimide and its many derivatives. Chiral alcohols form half-esters (see above), and these derivatives are often resolvable because they form diastereomeric salts with chiral amines such as brucine. A related ring-opening reaction involves peroxides to give the useful peroxy acid: C6H4(CO)2O + H2O2 → C6H4(CO3H)CO2HPrecursor to dyestuffs Phthalic anhydride is widely used in industry for the production of certain dyes. A well-known application of this reactivity is the preparation of the anthroquinone dye quinizarin by reaction with para-chlorophenol followed by hydrolysis of the chloride.