Phthalic acid is used mainly in the form of anhydride to produce other chemicals such as dyes, perfumes, saccharin, phthalates, and many other useful products. Plasticizers such as phthalic acid esters (phthalates) are used in a wide range of consumer goods, commodities, and construction materials.
Phthalic acid is produced by the catalytic oxidation of naphthalene or ortho-xylene directly to phthalic anhydride and a subsequent hydrolysis of the anhydride. Phthalic acid was first obtained by French chemist Auguste Laurent in 1836 by oxidizing naphthalene tetrachloride.
Phthalates (esters of phthalic acid) are a group of chemicals with a wide variety of industrial applications. Regarding cosmetics, they are used as plasticizers in products such as nail polishes and hair sprays, and as solvents and perfume fixatives in many other products.
Phthalic anhydride is widely used worldwide for an extremely broad range of applications spanning from the plastics industry to the synthesis of resins, agricultural fungicides and amines.
