FREE shipping to on qualifying orders when you spend or more, processed by Ossila BV. All prices ex. VAT. Qualifying orders ship free worldwide! Fast, secure, and backed by the Ossila guarantee. It looks like you are visiting from , click to shop in or change country. Orders to the EU are processed by our EU subsidiary.

It looks like you are using an unsupported browser. You can still place orders by emailing us on info@ossila.com, but you may experience issues browsing our website. Please consider upgrading to a modern browser for better security and an improved browsing experience.


Product Code B2101-25g
Price £110 ex. VAT

A dianhydride building block

An intermediate for polyester and polyimides synthesis in application of super absorbances, water treatments and wrinkle-free fabrics


1,2,3,4-Butanetetracarboxylic dianhydride (BDA, CAS number 4534-73-0) has two succinic anhydrides bridged by a carbon-carbon single bond. 1,2,3,4-Butanetetracarboxylic dianhydride readily reacts with amines and hydroxyls forming imides and esters. BDA is a well-known anti-wrinkle reagent to treat cotton fabrics, as its ability to crosslink the cellulose (through esterification). The breaking and tearing strengths of the fabrics are improved via crosslinking modification. Super absorbance hydrogels can be synthesized from polysaccharide and 1,2,3,4-butanetetracarboxylic dianhydride. The products are applied in water purification and agricultural water retention.

High ionic conductive ionomer can be prepared from BDA and diol. The ionomer is promising to use as solid polymer electrolytes.

General Information

CAS Number 4534-73-0
Chemical Formula C8H6O6
Full Name 1,2,3,4-Butanetetracarboxylic dianhydride
Molecular Weight 198.13 g/mol
Synonyms Tetrahydro(3,3'-bifuran)-2,2',5,5'-tetrone, 3-(2,5-Dioxooxolan-3-yl)oxolane-2,5-dione
Classification / Family Dianhydride building block, Polyesters, Polyimides, Hydrogels, Absorbances

Chemical Structure

1,2,3,4-butanetetracarboxylic dianhydride (BDA) chemical structure, CAS 4534-73-0.
1,2,3,4-butanetetracarboxylic dianhydride (BDA) chemical structure, CAS 4534-73-0

Product Details

Purity >99%
Melting Point Tm = 242 °C – 243 °C
Appearance White to pale yellow to slight brown powder/crystal

MSDS Documentation

1,2,3,4-butanetetracarboxylic dianhydride (BDA)1,2,3,4-butanetetracarboxylic dianhydride (BDA) MSDS Sheet

Literature and Reviews

  1. Adsorption of Pb(II) ions from contaminated water by 1, 2, 3, 4-butanetetracarboxylic acid-modified microcrystalline cellulose: isotherms, kinetics, and thermodynamic studies, A. Hashem et al., Int. J. Biol. Macromol., 164, 3193-3203(2020); DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.08.159.
  2. Bio-synthesis of itaconic acid as an anti-crease finish for cellulosic fiber fabric, A. Boondaeng et al., RSC Adv., 11, 25943(2021); DOI: 10.1039/d1ra05037k.
  3. Green routes for the development of chitin/chitosan sustainable hydrogels, M. Maddaloni et al., Sus. Chem., 1, 325–344(2020); DOI: 10.3390/suschem1030022.
  4. Ionomers from step-growth polymerization: highly ordered ionic aggregates and ion conduction, L. Yan et al., Macromolecules, 53, 1777−1784(2020); DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.9b02220.
  5. Polysaccharide based superabsorbent hydrogels and their methods of synthesis: A review, M. Qureshi et al., Carbohydrate Polymer Technologies and Applications, 1, 100014(2020); DOI: 10.1016/j.carpta.2020.100014.
  6. Role of crosslinkers for synthesizing biocompatible, biodegradable and mechanically strong hydrogels with desired release profile, S. Zafar et al., Polym. Bull., 79, 9199–9219 (2022); DOI: 10.1007/s00289-021-03956-8.
  7. Superabsorbent polymers used for agricultural water retention, L. Chang et al., Polym. Test., 94, 107021(2021); DOI: 10.1016/j.polymertesting.2020.107021.
Return to the top