Maleic anhydride in pure state is colorless or white solid with unpleasant smell. And it is a great molecule. Because it has two types of chemical energy groups, it is particularly useful in chemical synthesis and applications. Secondly, as a variety of chemical intermediates, it has applications in many fields of chemical industry.

通常工厂会向装有迪安-斯达克榻分水器、冷凝器和机械搅拌器的烧瓶中加入116克顺酐和120毫升四氯乙烷。然后将内容物加热，将水作为共沸物蒸出，并将残余物在减压下蒸馏，从而得到纯度约为89.5％的酸酐。接下来，会将其加热到较高的温度，从而得到较高纯度的顺酐。

Usually, the factory will add 116 g of maleic anhydride and 120 ml of tetrachloroethane to the flask equipped with Dean stark water separator, condenser and mechanical mixer. The contents were then heated, water was evaporated as an azeotrope, and the residue was distilled under reduced pressure to obtain an anhydride with a purity of about 89.5%. Next, it will be heated to a higher temperature to obtain higher purity maleic anhydride.

同时由于其特殊的特性，使得顺酐被广泛的运用于制造不饱和聚酯树脂的杂环化合物。并且顺酐还拥有广泛的其它应用，例如：它用于合成表面活性剂、杀虫剂、除草剂和杀真菌剂等产品。

At the same time, due to its special characteristics, maleic anhydride is widely used in the manufacture of heterocyclic compounds of unsaturated polyester resin. Maleic anhydride also has a wide range of other applications, for example, it is used to synthesize surfactants, pesticides, herbicides and fungicides.