Abstract
IN an abstract of a paper describing a method of preparation of (−)-tartaric acid from D-xylose the acid is named L(−)-tartaric acid1. As this seemed odd, a number of standard text-books were consulted; these were about equally divided in naming dextro-rotatory tartaric acid D(+) or L(+). This confusion arises because the relationship of the tartaric acids to the reference compound D(+)-glycer-aldehyde has been established in two different ways, from which opposite conclusions have been drawn:
(+)-Tartaric acid is related to D(+)-glyceraldehyde by the series of reactions2: (+)-tartaric acid → (+)-malic acid → (+)-isoserine → (−)-glyceric acid → (+)-glyceraldehyde: hence D(+)-tartaric acid. (−)-Tartaric acid is obtained by oxidation of D-threose, which is related in configuration to D(+)-glyceraldehyde: hence D(−)-tartaric acid.
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References
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BUCHANAN, C. Configurational Notation of the Tartaric Acids. Nature 167, 689–690 (1951). https://doi.org/10.1038/167689a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/167689a0
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