When adipic acid is heated, the product is .

Options

A.
B.
C.
D.

Answer

To determine the product formed when adipic acid is heated, we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Understand the Structure of Adipic Acid
Adipic acid is a dicarboxylic acid with the molecular formula C6H10O4. Its structure can be represented as:
```
HOOC-CH2-CH2-COOH
```
This indicates that adipic acid has two carboxylic acid (-COOH) groups.

### Step 2: Heating Adipic Acid
When adipic acid is heated, it undergoes a dehydration reaction. This means that water (H2O) is removed from the molecule. The -OH group from one carboxylic acid and a hydrogen atom (H) from the other carboxylic acid combine to form water.

### Step 3: Formation of Adipic Anhydride
After the removal of water, the remaining parts of the molecule can bond together. The result of this dehydration process is the formation of adipic anhydride. The structure of adipic anhydride can be represented as:
```
O
||
CH2-CH2
/ \
O O
```
This indicates that the two carboxylic acid groups have been converted into an anhydride.

### Conclusion
Therefore, when adipic acid is heated, the product formed is adipic anhydride.

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