Maleic anhydride

Maleic anhydride is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is the acid anhydride of maleic acid. Maleic anhydride is used to make some plastics.

 Chemistry 
Maleic acid is a dienophile, a type of chemical used in the Diels-Alder reaction with dienes. The Dies-Alder reaction of maleic anhydride and butadiene or isoprene makes tetrahydrophthalic anhydrides, which can be hydrogenated to hexahydrophthalic anhydrides. These can be used as curing agents in epoxy resin. 

Category:Oxygen heterocycles
Category:Carboxylic acid anhydrides