A white crystalline organic acid which occurs naturally in plants and also mainly in grapes, bananas and tamarinds which is also regarded as one of the main acids found in wine is known as tartaric acid. Tartaric acid when added to food products gives a sour taste and also is used as an antioxidant as the salts of this tartaric acid is known as tartrates. Tartaric acid is very much recognizable to wine drinkers as these are known as wine diamonds; these tartrates are harmless and still remain on the inside of aging barrels. Tartaric acid has two hydrogen atoms on each of its molecules which can be ionized in water and also this acid is naturally occurring but can also be reproduced synthetically.Tartaric acid is very much used as an emetic which is to induce vomiting and also as laxative as it functions as an anti oxidant as it prevents the oxidation of molecules in the body which also prevents the formation of free radicals. The consumption of high amount of tartaric acid could be dangerous as it can act as muscle toxin. The ingestion of this tartaric acid in certain amounts inhibits the creation of malic acid and overdose of this tartaric acid could also cause to death or even paralytic stroke. Tartaric acid occurs in multi three dimensional form or isomer this property makes it very much useful raw material in organic chemistry thus for the synthesis of the other chiral molecules.
In ancient period tartaric acid was very much first isolated from potassium tartrate and is very much known as muscle toxin as it functions as acidulant in beverages, confectionary products, in jams and juices etc. Important derivatives of tartaric acid includes salt, cream of tartar and when cream of tartar is mixed in water a suspension results as a clean copper coin as the tartar layer can dissolve the layer of copper very well.
