page_title: Meldrum's acid
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Meldrum's acid / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Molecular structure of the β-lactone of β-hydroxyisopropylmalonic acid, which Anrew N. Meldrum incorrectly proposed for a compound that he described in 1908. The compound is known today as Meldrum's acid, and its correct structure is 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxane-4,6-dione.
context_page_description: Meldrum's acid or 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxane-4,6-dione is an organic compound with formula C
  6H
  8O
  4. Its molecule has a heterocyclic core with four carbon and two oxygen atoms; the formula can also be written as [−O−−O−−−−].
  It is a crystalline colorless solid, sparingly soluble in water. It decomposes on heating with release of carbon dioxide and acetone.
context_section_description: The compound is named after Andrew Norman Meldrum who reported its synthesis in 1908. He misidentified its structure as a β-lactone of β-hydroxyisopropylmalonic acid; the correct structure, the bislactone of 1,3-dioxane was reported in 1948.
caption: Incorrect structure.
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