Abstract
AS we intimated last week, another brilliant synthesis has recently been accomplished in the domain of organic chemistry. Messrs. Grimaux and Adam have succeeded in building up the characteristic acid of lemons from glycerin. Glycerin may be regarded as trihydroxy-propane, C3H6(OH)3, and citric acid as hydroxypropane-tricarboxyliic acid, C3H4(OH)(CO2H)3. To convert glycerin into citric acid it was therefore necessary to replace two hydroxyl groups, and one hydrogen atom, by the group CO2H (carboxyl). This was done as follows:—By the action of hydrochloric acid on glycerin, dichlorhydrin,
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M., M. Synthesis of Citric Acid . Nature 22, 585–586 (1880). https://doi.org/10.1038/022585f0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/022585f0