Phthalide is an

organic Organic may refer to: * Organic, of or relating to an organism, a living entity * Organic, of or relating to an anatomical organ Chemistry * Organic matter, matter that has come from a once-living organism, is capable of decay or is the product ...

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 element ...

with the molecular formula C₈H₆O₂. 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

dye A dye is a colored substance that chemically bonds to the substrate to which it is being applied. This distinguishes dyes from pigments which do not chemically bind to the material they color. Dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution and ...

s (such as

phenolphthalein Phenolphthalein ( ) is a chemical compound with the formula C20 H14 O4 and is often written as "HIn", "HPh", "phph" or simply "Ph" in shorthand notation. Phenolphthalein is often used as an indicator in acid–base titrations. For this applica ...

fungicide Fungicides are biocidal chemical compounds or biological organisms used to kill parasitic fungi or their spores. A fungistatic inhibits their growth. Fungi can cause serious damage in agriculture, resulting in critical losses of yield, quality ...

s (such as tetrachlorophthalide, often referred to simply as "phthalide"), and natural oils (such as

butylphthalide Butylphthalide (3-''n''-butylphthalide or NBP) is one of the chemical constituents in celery oil, along with sedanolide, which is primarily responsible for the aroma and taste of celery. Studies in animal models suggest that butylphthalide may be ...

Examples

File:phenolphthalein.svg, Phenolphthalein File:tetrachlorophthalide.svg, Tetrachlorophthalide FIle:Butylphthalide.svg,

Butylphthalide Butylphthalide (3-''n''-butylphthalide or NBP) is one of the chemical constituents in celery oil, along with sedanolide, which is primarily responsible for the aroma and taste of celery. Studies in animal models suggest that butylphthalide may be ...

References

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