Phthalide is an
organic chemical compound
A chemical compound is a chemical substance composed of many identical molecules (or molecular entities) containing atoms from more than one chemical element held together by chemical bonds. A molecule consisting of atoms of only one ele ...
with the molecular formula C
8H
6O
2. A white solid, it is the simplest benzo
lactone
Lactones are cyclic carboxylic esters, containing a 1-oxacycloalkan-2-one structure (), or analogues having unsaturation or heteroatoms replacing one or more carbon atoms of the ring.
Lactones are formed by intramolecular esterification of the co ...
. It is prepared from hydroxymethylbenzoic acid.
Phthalides
The phthalide core is found a variety of more complex chemical compounds including
dyes (such as
phenolphthalein),
fungicides (such as
tetrachlorophthalide, often referred to simply as "phthalide"), and natural oils (such as
butylphthalide).
Examples
File:phenolphthalein.svg, Phenolphthalein
File:tetrachlorophthalide.svg, Tetrachlorophthalide
FIle:Butylphthalide.svg, Butylphthalide
References
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