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How are anhydrides formed?

Answer 1

By condensation of two carboxylic acids:

#RC(=O)OH + HO(O=)CR rarr RC(=O)O(O=)CR + H_2O#

As shown above, two carboxylic acids can condense, eliminating water in the process. This is an example of an organic reaction, where the electrophile (the carbonyl carbon on the other reactant) has been attacked by the nucleophile (the hydroxy group) and water is eliminated. To shift the equilibrium to the right, a dehydrating agent is typically used.

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Answer 2

Isaac Aronson

Anhydrides are formed through the dehydration reaction between two carboxylic acid molecules. During this reaction, a molecule of water is eliminated, resulting in the formation of an anhydride.

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Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.