Question: are anhydrides soluble in water?
Answer: Acetic anhydride dissolves in water to approximately 2.6% by weight. Aqueous solutions have limited stability because, like most acid anhydrides, acetic anhydride hydrolyses to give carboxylic acids. In this case, acetic acid is formed, this reaction product being fully water miscible: (CH3CO)2O + H2O → 2 CH3CO2H.