Itaconic Acid

itaconic acid

[¦id·ə¦kän·ik ′as·əd]

(organic chemistry)

CH₂:C(COOH)CH₂COOH A colorless crystalline compound that decomposes at 165°C, prepared by fermentation with Aspergillus terreus; used as an intermediate in organic synthesis and in resins and plasticizers.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Itaconic Acid

 

an unsaturated dibasic carboxylic acid, H₂C=C(COOH)—CH₂COOH; colorless crystals. Melting point, 167°-168°C.

Itaconic acid yields chloranhydride on heating with thionyl chloride; it yields esters upon interaction with alcohols. It combines with halogens and hydrogen halides in a double bond and readily polymerizes during storage (hydroquinone can be used as an inhibitor). Itaconic acid is used in the manufacture of synthetic detergents; its esters are used in the production of copolymers with methacrylates and styrene, and as polyvinylchloride plasticizers.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.