Tartaric acid

 

Tartaric acid
aka dextrotartaric acid, L-(+)-tartaric acid

Chemical formula	COOH-CHOH-CHOH-COOH
OTP appearance	white powder
Molar Mass(g/mol)	150.087
Density(g/cc)	1.79
Melting Point(°C)	171-174
Boiling Point(°C)	decomp
Solubility in water(g/L)	1330
NFPA 704	0 3 0

Uses

Justification Questioned

Other

• Used in chirality testing

Production

Extraction

The method ordinarily pursued is... A large Quantity of water, from One thousand to fourteen hundred gallons, in which have been dissolved about thirty-six pounds of oxalic acid, is heated to boiling. In to this liquor one ton of dried pomace is placed and the whole stirred while the heating continues. After one hour of treatment in this liquor the liquid is drawn off and at once evaporated to separate the cream of tartar there from in its crystallized form.
...Enough of a calcium salt in solution is subsequently added to precipitate all free oxalic acid

This translates to roughly:

For each kilogram of pomace, dissolve 18g (0.2M) of oxalic acid in 40 to 60L of water, combine it with the pomace. Boil for one hour. Filter, and evaporate the filtrate to produce crystals of potassium bitartrate

1. CaC₄H₄O₆(s) + C₂H₂O₄(aq) → CaC₂O₄(s) + C₄H₆O₆(aq) // Insoluble calcium tartrate converted to insoluble -oxalate and free tartaric acid solubilized