DL-malic acid

Also known as hydroxysuccinic acid, hydroxybutanedioic acid, apple acid, H2mal, alpha-hydroxysuccinic acid, E296, 2-hydroxybutanedioic acid, malic acid

group of stereoisomers

AI overview

DL-malic acid is a chemical compound that exists as a mixture of two mirror-image forms of the same molecule. It's commonly used in foods, beverages, and pharmaceuticals for its sour taste and other functional properties.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Chemical data

Formula: C4H6O5
Molecular weight: 134.09 g/mol
IUPAC name: hydron;2-hydroxybutanedioate
SMILES: [H+].[H+].C(C(C(=O)[O-])O)C(=O)[O-]
InChIKey: BJEPYKJPYRNKOW-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Polar surface area: 100 Å²
H-bond donors: 3
H-bond acceptors: 5
Formal charge: 0

via PubChem

~6 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Malic acid is an organic compound with the molecular formula HO2CCH(OH)CH2CO2H. It is a dicarboxylic acid that is made by all living organisms, contributes to the sour taste of fruits, and is used as a food additive. Malic acid has two stereoisomeric forms (L- and D-enantiomers), though only the L-isomer exists naturally. The salts and esters of malic acid are known as malates. The malate anion is a metabolic intermediate in the citric acid cycle.

Etymology

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “DL-malic acid” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.