Abstract
Phthalic acid esters or phthalate esters (PAEs) are derivatives of phthalic acid (PA). Structures of PAEs are shown in Figure 15.1. When methanol, ethanol, or other alcohols react with the carboxyl groups on the benzene ring of phthalic acids, the corresponding esters are formed with different alkyl chains, depending on the alcohol involved in the reaction, such as dimethyl phthalate (DMP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP). Each PAE has three isomers on which the carboxyl groups can be at the ortho, meta, or para position. Meanwhile, the esterification forms not only diesters but also monoesters. Various reactions yield a large and diverse group of products of PAEs, with distinctive position and the length of the alkyl side chains.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Environmental Contamination |
| Subtitle of host publication | Health Risks and Ecological Restoration |
| Publisher | CRC Press |
| Pages | 313-345 |
| Number of pages | 33 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781439892398 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781439892381 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1 Jan 2012 |
| Externally published | Yes |