Tricarboxylic acid
Organic carboxylic acid
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A tricarboxylic acid is an organic carboxylic acid that contain three carboxyl functional groups (−COOH). A well-known example is citric acid.
Prominent 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[1] |  |
Some prominent substituted tricarboxylic acids
Citric acid, is used in the citric acid cycle – also known as the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle or Krebs cycle – which is fundamental to all aerobic organisms.
Nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) is a chelating agent for Ca2+, Co2+, Cu2+, and Fe3+.[2]
See also
- Citric acid cycle (tricarboxylic acid cycle)
- Dicarboxylic acid
- Mellitic acid
- Nitrilotriacetic acid