phthalic

[ thal-ik, fthal- ]

adjective

, Chemistry.

1. of or derived from phthalic acid.

Word History and Origins

Origin of phthalic¹

First recorded in 1855–60; (na)phthal(ene) + -ic

Example Sentences

Phthalein, thal′e-in, n. one of a very important class of dye-yielding materials formed by the union of phenols with the anhydride of phthalic acid.—adj.

From Project Gutenberg

The city is also a booming center of the chemical industry, prolific source of exotic effluents like phthalic anhydride and chlorinated phenolic compounds, which make the eyes water and smell like the medicines children swallow while holding their noses.

From Time Magazine Archive

Dr. Heinz M. Wuest, 76, supposedly retired but still active in his laboratory as a consultant to the Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research, pointed out that the thalidomide molecule contains both a form of glutamic acid and a form of phthalic acid.

From Time Magazine Archive

But, said Wuest, in thalidomide the structural combination of glutamic and phthalic acids is most unusual.

From Time Magazine Archive

Phthalic Acid and the Phthaleïns, 145.

From Project Gutenberg