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tartaric acid

noun Chemistry.

an organic compound, C4H6O6, existing in four isomeric forms, the common or dextrorotatory isomer being a white, crystalline, water-soluble powder or transparent crystals: used in effervescent beverages, baking powders, confections, photography, and tanning.

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Nearby words

  1. tartarean,
  2. tartarian,
  3. tartarian aster,
  4. tartarian honeysuckle,
  5. tartaric,
  6. tartarize,
  7. tartarly,
  8. tartarous,
  9. tartars,
  10. tartarus

Origin of tartaric acid

First recorded in 1800–10
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for tartaric acid

tartaric acid

noun

a colourless or white odourless crystalline water-soluble dicarboxylic acid existing in four stereoisomeric forms, the commonest being the dextrorotatory (d-) compound which is found in many fruits: used as a food additive (E334) in soft drinks, confectionery, and baking powders and in tanning and photography. Formula: HOOCCH(OH)CH(OH)COOHSystematic name: 2,3-dihydroxybutanedioic acid
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Science definitions for tartaric acid

tartaric acid

[tär-tăr′ĭk]

A crystalline organic acid that exists in three isomeric forms and occurs widely in plants. It is found in byproducts of wine fermentation and has a wide variety of uses, including to make cream of tartar and baking powder, to add effervescence to beverages, to polish metal, in printing and dyeing, and to make photographic chemicals. Chemical formula: C4H6O6.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.