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A tricarboxylic acid is an organic carboxylic acid whose chemical structure contains three carboxyl functional groups (−COOH). The best-known example of a tricarboxylic acid is citric acid.
Uses
Citric acid cycle
Main article: Citric acid cycleCitric acid, a type of tricarboxylic acid, is used in the citric acid cycle – also known as tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle or Krebs cycle – which is fundamental to all aerobic organisms.
Examples
| Common name | IUPAC name | Molecular formula | Structural formula |
|---|---|---|---|
| citric acid | 2-hydroxypropane-1,2,3-tricarboxylic acid | C6H8O7 | 
|
| isocitric acid | 1-hydroxypropane-1,2,3-tricarboxylic acid | C6H8O7 | 
|
| aconitic acid | prop-1-ene-1,2,3-tricarboxylic acid | C6H6O6 |  
(cis-form and trans-form) |
| propane-1,2,3-tricarboxylic acid | propane-1,2,3-tricarboxylic acid | C3H5(COOH)3 | 
|
| agaric acid | 2-hydroxynonadecane-1,2,3-tricarboxylic acid | C22H40O7 | 
|
| trimesic acid | benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylic acid | C9H6O6 | 
|
See also
- Citric acid cycle (tricarboxylic acid cycle)
- Dicarboxylic acid
- Mellitic acid
Literature
- Ryan J. Mailloux, Robin Bériault, Joseph Lemire, Ranji Singh, Daniel R. Chénier, Robert D. Hamel, Vasu D. Appanna (2007). "The Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle, an Ancient Metabolic Network with a Novel Twist". PLOS ONE. 2 (8): e690. Bibcode:2007PLoSO...2..690M. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000690. PMC 1930152. PMID 17668068.
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