acyl anhydride

9.5

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

noun
/ˈeɪsɪl ˈænhaɪdraɪd/

Specialized

: anhídrido acílico

When acyl anhydrides react with water, they break down to form two molecules of carboxylic acid.

Examples

Many pharmaceutical syntheses utilize acyl anhydrides as efficient reagents for creating complex molecules.
An acyl anhydride can react with water to form an acid.
Acyl anhydrides are widely used in organic chemistry to introduce acyl groups into other compounds.
The laboratory synthesized an acyl anhydride for the experiment.
When acyl anhydrides react with water, they produce acids, making them useful in chemical synthesis.
Many chemical reactions involve acyl anhydrides, which are crucial for generating new organic compounds.
An acyl anhydride reacts with water to yield a carboxylic acid, illustrating its role in organic chemistry.

Synonyms

acid anhydride

vsacyl anhydride

Specialized

8.4

A compound that forms an acid when it reacts with water, often making two acid molecules

is noted for use in chemical synthesis rather than emphasizing splitting into two acids

Surface Forms

acyl anhydride singular

acyl anhydrides plural

Morphology

acyl + anhydride

This is a regular noun–noun compound where 'acyl' specifies the type of 'anhydride' (an anhydride derived from acyl groups, i.e. formed by dehydration of acyl-containing acids). If a learner knows the technical senses of both constituents, the compound’s meaning is compositional and predictable, so it is transparent despite being specialised vocabulary.

Etymology

Acyl anhydride gets its name from two parts: acyl, a piece of an 'acid', and anhydride, meaning 'without water'. Imagine two acid pieces joined with no water between them; when water comes they break apart and form acids, so the name helps explain why these compounds give acids when they meet water.