Acid anhydrides

Definition

Acid anhydrides are organic compounds formed by the removal of water between two carboxylic acid molecules. They play a significant role in nucleophilic acyl substitution reactions, where they act as electrophiles ready to react with nucleophiles.

Related terms

Carboxylic Acids: Organic compounds characterized by a carboxyl group (-COOH), which is highly reactive in various chemical reactions.

Nucleophiles: Species that donate an electron pair to form a chemical bond in reaction mechanisms, often attacking positive or partially positive atoms.

Electrophiles: Chemical species that accept electron pairs from nucleophiles to form chemical bonds, often carrying a positive charge or partial positive charge and acting as reaction acceptors