Pentaerythritolzinc (penzinc) was prepared by a solid-phase reaction technique. The principal volatile products of the reaction between pentaerythritol and ZnO were analyzed with a coupled thermogravimetrymass spectrometery system. The results indicated that a large amount of water was formed at the reaction temperature. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results showed the appearance of penzinc as flaky particles. Accordingly, the penzinc obtained through the dehydration between pentaerythritol and ZnO is likely to be a monopentaerythritol complex, such as zinc monoglycerolate. The thermal stability of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) with penzinc as a thermal stabilizer was investigated by a Congo Red test, Oven aging test and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The Congo Red test showed the thermal stability time of PVC with penzinc was 38 min, longer than those with commercial thermal stabilizers. TGA indicated that the penzinc had little impact on the thermal degradation of PVC, but could increase the mass of residues. Oven aging test showed that the penzinc could significantly retard the discoloration during the long-term decomposition of PVC. Meanwhile, no zinc burning was observed in the PVC with penzinc. These results indicate that the penzinc is an excellent thermal stabilizer for rigid PVC. (C) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012