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Glite Dictionary
acid anhydride

acid anhydride

8.4
A compound that forms an acid when it reacts with water, often making two acid molecules
  • noun
  • /ˈæsɪd ænˈhaɪdraɪd/
  • Specialized
translation icon : anhídrido ácido
  • When sulfur trioxide is reacted with water, it forms sulfuric acid, making it an acid anhydride.

Examples

  • So that, you see, is the acid anhydride of phosphoric acid what we're producing here?

  • The chemist explained how the acid anhydride could be used to create various acid compounds.

  • They studied the characteristics of an acid anhydride in their organic chemistry class.

Synonyms

anhydride
vsacid anhydride
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A compound made when water is removed from an acid

refers specifically to organic compounds that react with water to form acids
acyl anhydride
vsacid anhydride
  • Specialized
9.5

A type of organic chemical that reacts with water to make acids

focuses on splitting into two acid molecules when reacting with water

Surface Forms

acid anhydride singular
acid anhydrides plural

Morphology

acid + anhydride

The compound is compositionally transparent: 'acid anhydride' denotes an anhydride that is related to or derived from an acid, which directly follows from the meanings of 'acid' and 'anhydride'. This noun–noun formation and the technical sense of 'anhydride' (formed by dehydration) make the overall meaning inferable to a learner who already knows both constituents.

Etymology

Acid anhydride comes from the parts acid and anhydride, where anhydride means 'without water'. Imagine an 'acid missing water' that becomes an acid again when it meets water, so the name explains why these chemicals 'form acids' with water.