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Tartaric acid is a naturally occurring organic acid that is widely distributed in plants, especially in fruits such as grapes, tamarind, bananas, and tamarillos. Chemically, it is known as 2,3-dihydroxybutanedioic acid with the molecular formula C₄H₆O₆. It contains two carboxyl groups (–COOH) and two hydroxyl groups (–OH), which make it a dicarboxylic acid with additional hydroxyl substitution.
The name "tartaric acid" originated from its early discovery in wine sediments known as "tartar." It was first isolated from potassium bitartrate deposits in wine casks.
Properties and significance:
Tartaric acid is a white crystalline solid, soluble in water, and has a strong acidic taste.
It exhibits optical isomerism due to the presence of two chiral centers. The natural form is the L-(+)-tartaric acid, which is optically active.
It is an important component in the preparation of baking powder, where it acts with sodium bicarbonate to release carbon dioxide gas, helping dough rise.
In the food industry, tartaric acid is widely used as an acidulant, preservative, and stabilizer.
It also plays a role in the pharmaceutical industry, where it is used in effervescent tablets and as a chelating agent in some medicines.
Option analysis:
2,3-dihydroxybutanedioic acid → correct, this is the systematic IUPAC name of tartaric acid.
Oxalic acid (C₂H₂O₄) → a simpler dicarboxylic acid, not tartaric acid.
Succinic acid (C₄H₆O₄) → another dicarboxylic acid but without hydroxyl groups.
Citric acid (C₆H₈O₇) → found in citrus fruits, different structure from tartaric acid.
Thus, tartaric acid is correctly identified as 2,3-dihydroxybutanedioic acid.
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