tartaric acid

Also known as 2,3-dihydroxybutanedioic acid, 2,3-dihydroxysuccinic acid, threaric acid, uvic acid, paratartaric acid, tatri

C4-organic acid with different stereoisomers

AI overview

Tartaric acid is an organic compound with four carbon atoms that exists in different molecular forms called stereoisomers, which have the same atoms arranged in different ways. It's commonly used in food and wine production, and its different forms can have different properties and uses.

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

Chemical data

Formula: C4H6O6
Molecular weight: 150.09 g/mol
IUPAC name: 2,3-dihydroxybutanedioate;hydron
SMILES: [H+].[H+].C(C(C(=O)[O-])O)(C(=O)[O-])O
InChIKey: FEWJPZIEWOKRBE-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Polar surface area: 121 Å²
H-bond donors: 4
H-bond acceptors: 6
Formal charge: 0

via PubChem

~10 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Tartaric acid is a white, crystalline organic acid that occurs naturally in many fruits, most notably in grapes but also in tamarinds, bananas, avocados, and citrus. Its salt, potassium bitartrate, commonly known as cream of tartar, develops naturally in the process of fermentation. Potassium bitartrate is commonly mixed with sodium bicarbonate and is sold as baking powder used as a leavening agent in food preparation. The acid itself is added to foods as an antioxidant E334 and to impart its distinctive sour taste. Naturally occurring tartaric acid is a useful raw material in organic synthesis. Tartaric acid, an alpha-hydroxy-carboxylic acid, is diprotic and aldaric in acid characteristics and is a dihydroxyl derivative of succinic acid.

History

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