Record Information
Version1.0
StatusDetected and Quantified
Creation Date2020-10-27 23:38:37 UTC
Update Date2022-08-30 23:59:44 UTC
Metabolite IDMMDBc0000175
Metabolite Identification
Common NameTartaric acid
DescriptionTartaric acid is a white crystalline organic acid. It occurs naturally in many plants, particularly grapes and tamarinds, and is one of the main acids found in wine. It is added to other foods to give a sour taste, and is used as an antioxidant. Salts of tartaric acid are known as tartrates. It is a dihydroxy derivative of dicarboxylic acid. Tartaric acid is a muscle toxin, which works by inhibiting the production of malic acid, and in high doses causes paralysis and death. The minimum recorded fatal dose for a human is about 12 grams. In spite of that, it is included in many foods, especially sour-tasting sweets. As a food additive, tartaric acid is used as an antioxidant with E number E334, tartrates are other additives serving as antioxidants or emulsifiers. Naturally-occurring tartaric acid is chiral, meaning that it has molecules that are non-superimposable on their mirror-images. It is a useful raw material in organic chemistry for the synthesis of other chiral molecules. The naturally occurring form of the acid is L-(+)-tartaric acid or dextrotartaric acid. The mirror-image (enantiomeric) form, levotartaric acid or D-(-)-tartaric acid, and the achiral form, mesotartaric acid, can be made artificially. Tartarate is believed to play a role in inhibiting kidney stone formation. Most tartarate that is consumed by humans is metabolized by bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract -- primarily in the large instestine. Only about 15-20% of consumed tartaric acid is secreted in the urine unchanged. Tartaric acid is a biomarker for the consumption of wine and grapes (PMID: 24507823 ). Tartaric acid is also a fungal metabolite, elevated levels in the urine (especially in children) may be due to the presence of yeast (in the gut or bladder). It can be produced by Agrobacterium, Nocardia, Rhizobium, Saccharomyces as well (PMID: 7628083 ) (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1005592104426). High levels of tartaric acid have been found in autistic children. In adults, tartaric acid may be due to the consumption of wine (https://www.greatplainslaboratory.com/articles-1/2015/11/13/candida-and-overgrowth-the-problem-bacteria-by-products) (PMID: 15738524 ; PMID: 24507823 ; PMID: 7628083 ).
Structure
Synonyms
ValueSource
(+)-(R,R)-Tartaric acidChEBI
(+)-L-Tartaric acidChEBI
(+)-Tartaric acidChEBI
(+)-WeinsaeureChEBI
(2R,3R)-2,3-DihydroxybernsteinsaeureChEBI
(2R,3R)-2,3-Dihydroxysuccinic acidChEBI
(2R,3R)-Tartaric acidChEBI
(R,R)-(+)-Tartaric acidChEBI
(R,R)-Tartaric acidChEBI
L(+)-TARTARIC ACIDChEBI
L-Threaric acidChEBI
RechtsweinsaeureChEBI
WeinsteinsaeureChEBI
(R,R)-TartrateKegg
L-Tartaric acidKegg
TartrateKegg
2,3-Dihydroxybutanedioic acidKegg
(+)-(R,R)-TartarateGenerator
(+)-L-TartarateGenerator
(+)-TartarateGenerator
(2R,3R)-2,3-DihydroxysuccinateGenerator
(2R,3R)-TartarateGenerator
(R,R)-(+)-TartarateGenerator
(R,R)-TartarateGenerator
L(+)-TARTARateGenerator
L-ThrearateGenerator
(R,R)-Tartric acidGenerator
L-TartarateGenerator
Tartric acidGenerator
2,3-DihydroxybutanedioateGenerator
TartarateGenerator
Aluminum tartrateHMDB
Ammonium tartrateHMDB
Potassium tartrateHMDB
Seignette saltHMDB
Sodium ammonium tartrateHMDB
Stannous tartrateHMDB
Tartaric acid, calcium salt, (R-r*,r*)-isomerHMDB
Calcium tartrate tetrahydrateHMDB
Sodium tartrateHMDB
Tartaric acid, ((r*,r*)-(+-))-isomerHMDB
Tartaric acid, monoammonium salt, (R-(r*,r*))-isomerHMDB
(R*,r*)-(+-)-2,3-dihydroxybutanedioic acid, monoammonium monosodium saltHMDB
MN(III) tartrateHMDB
Calcium tartrateHMDB
Tartaric acid, (R-(r*,r*))-isomerHMDB
Sodium potassium tartrateHMDB
Tartaric acid, (r*,s*)-isomerHMDB
Tartaric acid, (S-(r*,r*))-isomerHMDB
Tartaric acid, ammonium sodium salt, (1:1:1) salt, (r*,r*)-(+-)-isomerHMDB
(+)-(2R,3R)-Tartaric acidHMDB
(1R,2R)-1,2-Dihydroxyethane-1,2-dicarboxylic acidHMDB
(2R,3R)-2,3-DihydroxybutanedioateHMDB
(2R,3R)-2,3-Dihydroxybutanedioic acidHMDB
(2R,3R)-2,3-Tartaric acidHMDB
1,2-Dihydroxyethane-1,2-dicarboxylic acidHMDB
2,3-Dihydroxy-succinateHMDB
2,3-Dihydroxy-succinic acidHMDB
2,3-Dihydroxysuccinic acidHMDB
D-a,b-Dihydroxysuccinic acidHMDB
D-Tartaric acidHMDB
Dextrotartaric acidHMDB
L-(+)-Tartaric acidHMDB
Natural tartaric acidHMDB
TARHMDB
Threaric acidHMDB
TLAHMDB
WeinsaeureHMDB
(2R,3R)-(+)-Tartaric acidHMDB
Dihydroxysuccinic acidHMDB
Tartaric acidHMDB
Molecular FormulaC4H6O6
Average Mass150.0868
Monoisotopic Mass150.016437924
IUPAC Name(2R,3R)-2,3-dihydroxybutanedioic acid
Traditional NameL(+)-tartaric acid
CAS Registry Number87-69-4
SMILES
O[C@H]([C@@H](O)C(O)=O)C(O)=O
InChI Identifier
InChI=1S/C4H6O6/c5-1(3(7)8)2(6)4(9)10/h1-2,5-6H,(H,7,8)(H,9,10)/t1-,2-/m1/s1
InChI KeyFEWJPZIEWOKRBE-JCYAYHJZSA-N